BlackJack Productions would like to present: The melodic garage-psych onslaught known as Fairweather Friends out of Milwaukee, WI shall be appearing tonight at Louie’s Trophy House Grill in downtown Kalamazoo, Michigan!

Frontman Jordan Davis was formerly in the Wisconsin outfit Mystery Girls.  Much like that band, the Friends bring that amped up 60s psych flavor with strong songwriting to boot.  There’s perhaps even more melodic focus but the rockin’ is still intact, as evidenced by the song “Jokes On You“.

Kalamazoo’s The Evil Deauxerz are set to tear down the house with their rambunctious garage stomp that echoes through the Valley.

Lastly, a new project has recently been given life by members of outfits such as The Philly Crawlers, Aaron Young & His Nights Jars, Legendary Wings, and former Tiny Rhythm-ers.  As of right now, the project is simply known as MattMattPete and is in its infancy, so anything could happen!  The music is fairly diverse, with a heavy emphasis on drone and vamp rock!

Louie’s Trophy House Grill is located at 44o E. North Street in Kalamazoo, Michigan.  The show is 18 and up, starts 10 p.m., and costs ya $5 bones!

Courtesy Earthwork Music http://earthworkmusic.com

Tonight, The Strutt plays host to the Kalamazoo return of Seth Bernard! In the off-case that you have not heard Seth before, he plays good, wholesome folk-inspired tunes sometimes, and then totally shreds an electric guitar other times. He also puts on a hell of a show, and so this one comes with a high recommendation.

For reference, here’s Seth performing a Pink Floyd tune with Daisy May:

Yeah, you know you like it.

Tonight, Seth will be backed up by a few of his friends, including Dominic Davis, Josh Davis, and Mike Shimmin. The music starts at 9pm, the cost of admission is $10, and the tunes will be kicking, to be absolutely sure!

For those of you that have a sweet-tooth for good music, tonight you can just consider Louie’s Trophy House grill the Willy Wonka Chocolate factory of rock.

Irregardless of actual order, we’re going to start talking about Sleepeater right now. Why? Because they’re from Portland, and you kiddos know what comes from Portland: Wheat! Here at DIT we love wheat just as much as we love Alternative Psychedelic Rock, and Sleepeater is good at the latter of the two, which as previously stated, we respect highly, so check them out.

http://myspace.com/sleepeater

Three Mile Island hails from Petaluma, California (Not Harrisburg, Pennsylvania) and plays some type of weird Bluegrass inspired Garage Rock. I say weird in the nicest way possible, because I like them, and you can believe me when I say that because I write for this blog and half of these bands on here are weird and that’s the best part. They have great presence on stage and it’s stuff you can sing along to and I know how much people like to sing along to music so that ought to be great.

Widow’s Hatchet is a metal band with a female lead singer that seems to take ques from all around the metal spectrum. They’ve gigged from Grand Rapids to Detroit, playing metal that feeds off of the blood that seeps from the black, brutal roots of the giant mother metal tree.

Lastly, local staple Good News will be adding and subtracting (maybe even performing some long division) musically with their Post-Math-Instrumental-Rock that’s so technical and precise they use TI-83 calculators to compose most of their tunes. Joking aside they really are technical and precise, and you should catch them at Louie’s tonight because their shows are always super legit.

The music starts at 9pm. The fun starts shortly before. The cost is 5 dollars. See you down there.

A few years ago I had the privilege of seeing a rare reunion of Small Brown Bike through a window at a sold out show.   That night, the boys from Marshall, MI brought enough energy to overflow Kraftbrau and spill out to those of us watching from the outside.  These guys are known for their dominance around the turn of the millennium emo-post-hardcore-punk scene.  Along their label mates on No Idea Records (i.e. Hot Water Music) Small Brown Bike breathed fresh life and energy into a tired punk genre.  I’m excited to say that I’ll have another chance to see these amazing musicians (hopefully from the inside this time).

The Casket Lottery is a similar story from Kansas City:  Midwest kids rocking the world, breaking hearts with a hiatus, and triumphantly returning to blow our minds once again.  I don’t have the same personal connection with these guys as SBB, but I know they will be phenominal.  Just watch this live video and you’ll get it:  (oh, btw: the drummer was also in the Appleseed Cast for a while)

Acting as our local representatives, Kalamazoo’s own MINUTES will be starting off the show tonight.  If you haven’t seen them yet, you’re missing out.  They’ve had a spot in my top 5 local bands since their formation in 2009.   Here’s two videos, because their radness can’t be contained in just one:

The Strutt.  9pm.  $14.  The best thing happening in town this whole month.  Seriously, if you’re into punk, post-hardcore, or generally great music, this show is a must.

Photo by Mark Finazzo

That’s right. A free show at the Strutt on Saturday, May 14 at 9pm.

Tim Tapper is a familiar Kalamazoo face to many of us. His tendency towards sincere lyrics and a potent combination of clear melody and heavy walls of sound have appeared in many past projects. Tim favors the solo sound currently, appearing once again on the scene with fresh and candid songs that ring true.

Band Name is a caustic, fun punk band from Philly.

The Philly Crawlers are the purest form of Kalamazoo psychedelic alterna indie fun rock roll rock that there is.

Got any plans for tonight?

DIT(K) would like to humbly offer a suggestion. First, Art Hop at 5pm. Then step on over to The Strutt for a veritable feast of local music. AND IT’S ALL FOR FREE!!!

If you’re not aware of what Art Hop is, here’s a brief synopsis. The first Friday of every month,  downtown Kalamazoo opens it’s doors to all kinds of local artists. Local businesses display a wide variety of paintings, photographs, sculptures, crafts and mores. Add some random street performances plus free food and drink samples and you’ve got just one of the many reasons that makes Kalamazoo so awesome!

And then there’s this:

Our very own Forget The Times will be embarking on their first full length tour. In order to celebrate and send them off in style, we’re throwing a FREE SHOW at The Strutt. Local superstars Fiona Dickinson and Jake Simmons & The Little Ghosts are joining up to make this the best show we possibly can!

I dare you to find a more diverse lineup of music. Dark Folk, Rock ‘N’ Roll and Free Jazz. Check it:

Are you wondering what to do now that school is out?  Well you can stop your search because former Hot Water Music frontman, Chuck Ragan, is heading into Kalamazoo next Monday! Since HWM disbanded in 2006, Chuck has been taking his folk-rock gig around the world, touring with the likes of Social Distortion, Gaslight Anthem, and Frank Turner.

Ragan’s sound embraces the traditional American folk feel and sound, but still holds on to the gritty and emotional energy that made Hot Water Music one of the most beloved punk bands of the past decade.  Check out Chuck’s styles in the videos below and then make sure to head to The Strutt on May 9th.

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Sharks

Also appearing is UK based band Sharks.  Forming in 2007, these British rockers have crossed the Atlantic to join Mr. Ragan in supporting Social Distortion’s tour.  As usual, music (or video) speaks louder than words:

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The Almanac Shouters

After 3 tours, 2 albums, and 2 fun filled years of  strummin’ and shoutin’, Kalamazoo’s Almanac Shouters are calling it quits.  The band has decided to disband as Nola (banjo/vocals) has graduated (with 2 degrees!) from WMU, and is headed off into the real world.  With the final show being planned for July, the Shouters plan to  play only one Kalamazoo show in both May and June.  That means that chances are running out to see this bunch of friendly folks.

Doors are at 7pm, and the Almanac Shouters start at 8pm.  Tickets are $10 in advance*** or $12 at the door.

***Since the end is near, the Shouters are subsidizing their pre-sale tickets.   Get in touch with them on facebook or however you see fit and they’ll pay $3 of your ticket.  That means you can see this killer show for only $7.  Message DIT if you can’t find a way to contact the Shouters.