Junior Battles/Cain Marko/Tiger!Tiger! + 2 sg at the Strutt 2/12 *ALL AGES*

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Who’s excited to see some good pop punk bands play this week? I know I am!  This Sunday, Toronto natives Junior Battles will visit Kalamazoo to bring us some sick tunes from the chilly north.

Grand Rapids foursome Cain Marko will also be in attendance, bringing their brand of gritty pop punk rock reminiscent of Hot Water Music.

Indie Punks Tiger! Tiger! will be joining us as well and I’m really stoked to see them play again. It’s been far too long.  Fans of Weatherbox or The Wonder Years are going to really like these guys. (Photo credit: Mike Rice Photography)

And no Kzoo show would be complete without at least one local in attendance. Lucky for us, we get two! The boys in Natural Disasters and Ackley Kid will grace us with their rowdy presence and balance out the out of town pop punk with some harder local flavor.  Expect to nod your head, move your feet, and shout along!

The show is $7 and starts at 7:30. It’s a punk show, but there’s no punk time so show up on time so you don’t miss all the bands!

GIRLFIGHT/HOLLOW EARTH/THAT’S BLOOD 2/6/12

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Monday night at Victory House, it’s gonna go down.

GIRLFIGHT
Pittsburg, PA hardcore in your hometown basement. In the vein of Defeater and Every Time I Die, this band has one of the more aggressive sounds you’ll hear come through. Seriously, when do you ever get to see hardcore in this town? Come rage!
http://girlfight.bandcamp.com/

HOLLOW EARTH
From the Mitten State itself; Sabbath psych rock. If you dig Beast in the Field, Ozenza, or Harvey Milk you’ll be into this.
http://hollowearth666.bandcamp.com/

THAT’S BLOOD
Saw these guys once and it was rad as hell. 90’s influenced prog/punk/skramz, from right here in Kzoo. Check out their WIDR jam here:

You got booze, you got bucks. 9pm, 2 dollar suggested donation for the touring/out of town bands, and they will all have merch for sale.

 

Forget The Times / Gary Neason / Morseville Bridge / Peter Damien Cook

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Kalamazoo’s second most challenging musical collective Forget The Times is kicking off a tour of the mid-west on Thursday, February 9th at Louie’s Trophy House Grill in Kalamazoo.

Before the details, the numbers: $5 cover, 18+, 9pm.

I’ve seen Forget The Times on a dozen or so occasions, and no two performances have been quite alike. One constant is the conventionally attractive Sean Hartman and his conventionally attractive guitar, which combine to produce an unconventionally attractive stream of notes, noise, tones, and vaguely Beefheartish licks. Another Forget The Times staple is a flurry of busy hands behind one (or sometimes two) drum kits.

Other ingredients that are mixed in include up to three extra guitars, Sean’s didgeridoo, a variety of square and sawtooth waves from a tiny synthesizer, and … well, have yourself a listen. In fact, have yourself another listen.

All by itself, this is enough music to require a takeout container, but we haven’t even shown you the appetizer menu yet.

Three additional acts will lay granite blocks of sound across the squishy warm earth, making for safe travel and clean shoes when we arrive at Forget The Times’ party zone:

Morseville Bridge will provide beautiful and catchy songs in the tradition of Built to Spill, whether stripped bare (“Grampa’s Ghost“) or with the benefit of accompaniment (“Hostage“).

Gary Neason‘s music hasn’t taken a break in nearly a decade, although occasionally there are entire weeks consisting only of rests, followed by an imperceptibly creeping crescendo of polyphony approaching pink noise. We’ll never know whether dinosaurs listened to A Love Supreme, but if they did, it might sound like this at the dinosaur open mic night.

Peter Damien Cook is a songwriter and ceaselessly dedicated entertainer. You may have seen fronting the recently deceased psychedelic pop band The Philly Crawlers, shredding his trademark green Stratocaster as part of Forget the Times, providing harmonies to the fuzzy poprocks of Edward, or sonically assaulting a basement as part of Sleeper Agent. See PDC play “Wrong To Me” live.

DIT IN THE SPRINGTIME

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Well it’s February and the weather is shockingly pleasant. The warmest winter on record, I hear tell. This can only mean one thing. MORE FRISBEE THIS YEAR!

All I did last Spring/Summer was tour, play music and throw frisbees. It Was AWESOME. So, in my continued effort to keep the dream alive in 2012, I plan to do the same thing. Except more of it. Got the frisbee out to Davis Field with a bunch of friends yesterday and I leave for tour on Friday. Off to a pretty damn good start!

I say let’s keep the ball rolling. Here’s the plan:

DIT KALAMAZOO ULTIMATE FRISBEE LEAGUE!

I’m talkin’ bout some friendly, community based, good clean fun. I’ve got a little facebook group going where anyone is welcome to join up and help get this started. The goal is to get at least 4 teams of 7 players each. Ideally, each team will have both experienced and rookie players. I want this league to be competitive but never exclusive. Teams will keep the same members throughout the year and we’ll have games whenever schedules a line. Whoever won the most games at the end of the year has bragging rights until next summer. Or maybe just buys everyone else pizza…

Teams are already being formed as well as tentative plans for a first game at the end of February. If you wanna join a team or form yr own, just get on that fb group and let’s talk. We’ll also be having a ton of open group practices that people are welcome to even if they don’t wanna join a team. This could be a golden opportunity to meet new people, strengthen our community, get in shape, and KEEP THAT DREAM ALIVE.

I’m going back out to the practice field on Davis Street tomorrow at 2pm if anyone wants to come hang.

Also, it’s DIT Sunday. Meeting is at 210 Allen Blvd. at 5pm. See you all there.
UPDATE: It’s been decided that today’s DIT(K) meeting will now be held at Davis Field instead. We’ll talk about shows, throw the ‘bee around and get teams together for the league. Exciting!

2/22 – The Swellers / Bike Tuff / Hometeam / Witch Fingers

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Having some midweek Wednesday woes? Treat yourself to some quality pop punk! On Wednesday, February 22nd, The Swellers will be playing at The Strutt.

Hailing from Flint, The Swellers are arguably one of Michigan’s best pop punk band. These dudes have toured with bands such as Motion City Soundtrack, Paramore and Bayside. With energetic riffs and relatable lyrics, you’re bound to have a great time watching this band. Their live shows do not disappoint.

Opening up for The Swellers will be Kalamazoo’s very own Bike Tuff. If you have been to a pop punk show in Kzoo, you have seen this band.

Battle Creek natives and now Lansing residents, Hometeam will be sure to bring the energy to the stage. While only having played a few shows in Kalamazoo, these guys never fail to have a slew of folks in the audience raising their fists and chanting the lyrics.

Lastly, but surely not least, the noodly guitar goodness of Witch Fingers! This band consists of members from your other favorite Kzoo bands: Ackley Kid, The Reptilian and Forget the Times, so you know they’re good.

This show is going to be just great. If you don’t believe me, I’m giving up a whole evening of cuddling with my cat just so I can attend this show. If that’s not a sacrifice, I don’t know what is.

Doors open at 6:30 PM with $10 advance tickets and $12 tickets at the door. GET YOUR TICKETS RIGHT MEOW!

Spend Your Friday Evening Right at the Peace Center!

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Kalamazoo’s favorite folk pair Red Tail Ring are comin’ ’round to grace everyone’s presence once again tomorrow evening at the Kalamazoo Peace Center (perhaps colloquially known as the basement of the Wesley Foundation on WMU’s campus).

Also sharing  is Alex Quinlan (former guitarist of the Almanac Shouters), bringin y’all some tunes from the mountains, and none other than ramblin’ man Andru Bemis! This evening is sure to make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside!

Indeed, it will be an evening full of revelry and friendship, of laughter and tears, and more importantly, of some gosh-darned good folk music!

Friday / 7 p.m. / Kalamazoo Peace Center / Donationzz PLZ!

A New Political Zine Pops Up In Kalamzoo

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 On the evening of December 27th I found myself at a house show at The Crystal Cavern. As I waited for the music to begin, I sat in the kitchen with Tanner Boerman and some other kids making small talk about nothing in particular. As the first band (Cavalcade from Lansing) began to load their equipment in I was approached by group of fellows who I vaguely recognized. I had made arrangements for them to release their first issue of the revolutionary themed zine, Catalyst, at the show.

 As the band began to kick the off the night with an amazing set I spent a few minutes leafing through the zine in the small smoke filled kitchen. I skimmed the articles and was impressed with the execution of it all. It had been crudely photocopied, type written and pasted together. Nothing in the zine appeared to use anything computer related, I found this in itself very refreshing. I tucked catalyst away in my backpack for a time when I could really focus on reading.

 Now mind you, I am still new to the idea of radical politics as well as zine culture. I just read my first issue of Maximum Rock and Roll a few months earlier, I absolutely loved it. West Michigan seems to have a significant lack of zines. I can really only think of one off the top of my head, 616 Zine, based out of Grand Rapids. The idea of a new venture such as this emerging in Kalamazoo definitely peaked my interest.

 As I found myself with some time to sit down and read I pulled out Catalyst. I was very intrigued by the alternative schools of thought that seem to be prevalent themes throughout the zine. An essay on page 3 poses the question…..

 “When given the choice of college or entering the workforce, which will you choose? What if there was a third option, the alternative of a life on the fringe of society?”

 The masterminds writing these articles are definitely trying to spur action and create something larger than themselves.  The facebook page describes the Catalyst as “A zine/autonomous movement that works to educate and organize the masses for the purpose of abolishing the state and all forms of illegitimate authority/hierarchy, while fostering community and upholding values such as absolute equality/freedom.”

I was definitely exposed to some view points I had never really considered before.  This is definitely a must read for anyone interested in getting involved in local political action. The first issue is available now and in circulation around Kalamazoo. The 2nd issue will released shortly.

 Viva La Revolution, my friends.

2/4: Headnoise/Rise Into Ruin/Broken Tooth/Ackley Kid

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This week only! Legendary hardcore punk outfit Headnoise will be making a rare appearance in Kalamazoo at The Ant Hill on Saturday, February 4th with Grand Rapids punk/metal band Rise Into Ruin, Saginaw punks Broken Tooth, and our very own esteemed Ackley Kid.   Here’s a rundown of the show:

 

Headnoise:  Since 1994 (yeah they’ve been a band longer than some of you have been alive), Chicago punks Headnoise have annihilated their way through the Midwest and the coasts with their own brand of hardcore punk that strikes any hard music lover’s sweet spot with just the right amount of devastating guitar riffs, hard hitting vocals, and killer bass lines. Oh, and did I mention there’s a chick on vocals?  Fans of Bikini Kill, Officer Negative, and Bad Religion might want to check this band out! (photo credit: Headnoise’s facebook)

Rise into Ruin: Get your mosh on with the punkest of the metalheads (or the metalest of the punkheads?) Rise Into Ruin.  With dueling vocals and a guitarist prepared to slay all who hears him with his axe of destruction, these guys (and lady!) will bring you to your knees begging for more before the night is out.  I know I did something of the sort when I first saw them play.  Fans of Gather, XKingdomX, and yes, even Slayer might be interested in RIR.

Broken Tooth: For the punx (up them!) in the crowd who prefer their music hard and fast with no fancy stuff, Broken Tooth is prepared to deliver songs that could be the anthem to a night of rebellion or a day of protesting.  You might like these guys if you’re into Operation Ivy, Leftover Crack, or Choking Victim. (photo credit: Broken Tooth’s facebook)

 

Ackley Kid: You know ‘em, you love ‘em. And if you don’t know ‘em, you will grow to love ‘em.  Fellow DIT contributor Zach S. and his boys like playing hard and they like playing fast and your ears will be ringing by the end of their set.  Be prepared to shout along! If you like Minor Threat, Circle Jerks, or Title Fight you might also like these righteous dudes. (Photo credit: Ackley Kid’s facebook)

VICTORY HOUSE TONIGHT

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Kalamazoo has been blessed for a long time with great house venues. It’s surprising the amount of cities much bigger than us that don’t have half the DIY spaces that we do. It’s important that we don’t take this for granted. Go to shows. Respect the houses. Respect the bands. Respect yrself.

Let’s all show some love to Alex Gilbert and the Victory House crew. They’ve been hosting a ton of killer shows and have got even more coming up:

TONIGHT – Lost In Translation(ex Good News), (a)Rare Animal, Chackerine

2/6/12 – Girlfight, That’s Blood, Hollow Earth

2/10/12 –  No Bails, The Hemingers, Totally Rad, Inflatable Best Friend, The Honey Pot

Here’s what you can look forward to if you come out tonight:

(a)Rare Animal

Ryan Pate

CHACKERINE – Rad bros from Tennessee shreddin some fuzzed out pop ‘n’ roll.

(A)RARE ANIMAL – Melody driven post punk. Nod ya head.

LOST IN TRANSLATION – Ryan Pate’s new jams. I ain’t heard em yet but Good News has consistently been one of my favorite local bands for quite a while now. Stoked.

Everything kicks off around 9pm. Bring a friend. Bring some billz for the touring band. Keep on rockin’ in the free world.

DIT IN FULL EFFECT

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The new year has been good to us here at DIT(K)!

Meeting attendance has been way up and we’ve got new posts coming steady. We’d like to take this opportunity to extend some some invites and share a few updates:

First off, DIT meetings are being held at 210 Allen Blvd every Sunday at 5pm. This means we’ll all be there in about 3 hours. If you’d like to get involved, feel free to stop by! Everyone is welcome and we’ll do our best to be hospitable.
We’re looking for people who want to write for DIT; make fliers; put fliers up around town; book local shows; help a touring band; keep the dream alive.

We’ve just added an ‘Editorials’ category to the blog. You may have noticed a few posts recently such as ‘DIY Community Ethics‘ that went beyond the usual show preview/album review format. We’ve been talking about bringing in more of this type of content and hope to have a great deal more of it in the coming months. Look out for that and if you want to read what’s been posted so far, simply go to the categories tab on the lower right hand side of this page and click ‘Editorials’.
FLEX YR HEAD

It’s been a minute since we’ve updated the Flickr feed. Sorry bout that! We’ll have some more pics very soon. In the meantime, send us yr stuff! Got some sweet shots from a recent show? We’d love to get them up and continue to show the world how awesome Kalamazoo really is. Local bands; touring bands; just as long as the show was in held in our fair city.