If you feel so inclined, this Wednesday there will be two shows back to back! Satellite Records, now always beginning their shows at 6:00 PM will have sounds from the noisy gnar full band of legendary locals FORGET THE TIMES, as well as outta towners THE KBD SONIC COLLECTIVE. Expect soundscapes and meditation, with breaks filled with the sound equivalent of harsh reality.
Beyond that, MILHOUSE will be having a living room (or possibly porch) show, featuring some excellent folks out of one of our favorite cities, Milwaukee! HEAVY LEAVES and JACK TELL play their own personal brands of sad, contemplative folk. Singing songs that feel relateable as they do important.
This show will also feature locals MISERY LOVES CO., the solo project of Josh Miller of Forget The Times/Shoto. If he can play two shows, assuredly you can make it to at least one as a spectator! Also local ARIC SMEJKAL of Edith will be bringing his excellent solo works. Both locals are going to bum you the fuck out but you’ll probably also really dig it.
SATELLITE RECORDS starts at 6:00. $5 suggested donation.
MILHOUSE starts at 9:00. donations always suggested.
Louie’s Trophy House will be the place for fans of acoustic music from across the board. Be it gruff of ethereal, there’s something for all tastes. The night is particularly exciting, as two Milwaukee bands are making their first trek to Kalamazoo.
UGLY BROTHERS are a large band of rag tag soulful folk singers. For fans of The Avett Brothers, Elvis Perkins, and Tik Tok, but a bit more rough around the edges than those examples – not that they are not fine players – just a tangible authenticity in their style.
LOUSY TROUTS on the other hand, are quite reminiscent of Lonesome Crowded West era Modest Mouse – but all acoustic and refreshingly new to your ears.
Also this night, not so lousy, not so trouty, not so ugly, but definitely brothers – Axel and Marcus Quinlan will be playing their first set as a duo since August. Axel is the former songwriter for The Almanac Shouters, and has been working on a large body of solo work for the last couple of years. Each show is a glimpse into some portion of what is to be a cohesive concept album.
Also backing up the traveling acts would be the profoundly ethereal Deep Waters – a project started by talented local musician DSK as a keyboard project – many of the songs are now often performed live on acoustic guitar. Meditate and contemplate, get pensive but not sad.
Bring yourself, bring your friends, bring five dollars, bring what is left of your show worn ears. Tip the waitstaff and give the sound engineer a high five.
Kalamazoo sometimes is a great place for getting together with your friends to get sad, contemplative, pensive, nostalgic. That might not sound like a great time if you’re not well acquainted with the folk music that comes out of this town, or that tours in, but if you are you know it’s one of the more compelling musical experiences around.
Homeless Gospel Choir – the band one man band of Derek Zanetti out of Pittsburgh, PA – last played in Kalamazoo over 2 years ago while on tour with Harley Poe. Crammed in a livingroom packed to the gills, and no PA, HGC captivated an audience mostly unfamiliar with his work. His writing is relatable – a conemplative inner self struggling with an indifferent and dishonest world. But don’t let my shoddy words try and explain, here’s a video
Grey Gordon – on tour with HGC, previously played in Kalamazoo at the Corner Record Shop traveling with Jason Anderson. Grey’s music is sweetly sad and melancholy – like your favorite songs you forgot brought back new. You may not know the songs, but they’re likely to strike you as nostalgic.
This show will also be supported by locals Arms Akimbo – your local friend and sad story songwriter, and Axel Quinlan – folk songwriter in the wrong era singing to you regardless
This show is at The Kalamazoo Institute O’ Farts (not to be confused with the KIA). Contact DITkalamazoo@gmail.com for the address. Show is at 8:00. Bring dollars for the outta towners. Be excellent to your hosts and friends and friends you haven’t even met yet.
Maybe if you were in Kalamazoo in 2008, you went to Rocketstar Cafe. Primarily a coffee shop, sometimes also hosting all ages shows of a variety of genres. Maybe at that time you, like me, saw Ghost Mice and Eric Ayotte play a lovely and energetic folk show.
Photo by Jes Kramer
And if you’re familiar with Kalamazoo, you’ll also know that accessible venues have had a hell of a time remaining open. Shortly after this, Rocketstar ceased to be. Other spots have come and gone through the years, and many houses have picked up the slack – though not in a particularly legal or accessible way either.
Around the time of this Ghost Mice show, there was talk of creating the Kalamazoo Collective Arts Center. Tons of work was done on creating bylaws for this all ages art space, but when nailing down a location became exceedingly difficult, the project fizzled out. But now it’s back! A new group of people are picking up where the originators left off, and are looking to create an affordable, accessible space for all art and all ages.
And also through this all, the Kalamazoo Peace Center has offered a space on campus for music, radical discussion, workshops and speakers. This sort of activity goes hand in hand with the not-for-profit, DIY ethic that is entrenched in the Kalamazoo music scene.
The KCAC and Peace Center are looking for your support, and have thrown together a nostalgic show for the purpose! Featuring:
THE ALMANAC SHOUTERS – Formed in 2009, the Almanac Shouters are a local band, playing their first (and only planned) show in almost 2 years. They’re a loud folk band with reflective and metaphoric lyrics you can scream and dance to. The line up for this show features Axel Quinlan, Fiona Dickinson, Nola Wiersma, and Rory Svekric.
GHOST MICE – A band synonymous with Plan-It-X Records, a DIY label known for the slogan “If It Ain’t Cheap, It Ain’t Punk” and putting out some of the best of folk and pop punk over the last 20 years. Ghost Mice are straightfoward and honest songwriters whose earnest dedication to their words is compelling.
THE MINOR KIND– Eric Ayotte, folk song writer and short film enthusiast, has a new project and this is it. It’s a country band, it’s sweet, you’ll like it.
This show also features a ROOT BEER KEG for all who donate. Please be excellent to eachother and respect the house! The show is likely to be packed, so make sure to take care of those around you.
9:00 PM start time. Putting the punc back in punctual. Email ditkalamazoo@gmail.com for the address.
Eclectic doesn’t necessarily mean difficult, and here is a prime example of artists drawing from many different sources to create compelling and catchy music that’s hella tasty for your earbuds!
PORCHES. a full band and sometimes solo project of Aaron Maine, is a blend of folk and indie rock in an unexpected way. Traveling all the way from New York to our humble basements, PORCHES. are here to share with you captivating and moving songwriting you can get your dance on to. This group is labelmates of such wonderful groups as Pile, Speedy Ortiz, Krill, Kal Marks and many others who may have already impressed you.
This show will also feature a resurgence of Double Phelix man of mystery GITIS BAGGS! Although Gitis has been playing music consistently in a myriad of local projects, his solo work has not been heard for some time. That being said, Gitis plays wonderful experimental and thoughtful folk that is lush, ambient, and strange. You wont want to miss!
PLUS while we’re at it, TRANCERS, a newer local project, will be making their basement debut. From influences all across the board, you can tell these folks have deeply entrenched themselves in music fandom, and are sharing their findings with us all.
Show starts at 9:00. Please donate what you can, as PORCHES. have traveled quite a ways to get here, and need to sometime get home. Be excellent to each other. Dance yr butts off. Contact DITkalamazoo@gmail.com for the address.
Local art masters, Diamond Wave Press, are celebrating the release of their chapbook at Louie’s this Friday. The book contains works of art and poetry from many Kalamazoo favorites.
The event will be accompanied by the musical musings of Tim Tapper, Alex Quinlan, and Deep Waters. Visual art works by David Spalvieri-Kruse will be on display as part of the November Art Hop. Come check out the art and the music!
This Monday, two New York artists, TOLD SLANT and FLORIST will be touring into Kalamazoo to perform in the new(er) house venue, the ithinkyercute house.
This show will incorporate elements of folk, coupled with spacious and intense ambient influence. All the artists are guaranteed to make you feel some feel.
TOLD SLANTis a three piece indie folk outfit headed by distinct-sounding singer Felix Walworth. Though the songs our simple, they have a compelling strong honest feel that is hard to ignore. Plus, their live presentation is unconventional, as can be seen here:
Told Slant is on tour with FLORISTwho play spacey, off-kilter folk music. The sort of music that is perfect for fall, and for sitting in a home self-reflecting with all your friends.
Supporting these traveling folks will be FIONA DICKINSON, a local favorite as far as intense folk songwriting, and a true powerhouse when it comes to an honestly compelling live presence. DEEP WATERSwill also be performing richly complex and thoughtful compositions. Sometimes performed with guitars, sometimes keyboards – just going to have to show up to find out!
This show is starting at 8:00, Please bring money for the traveling acts. Respect the house, the bands, yourself.
ithinkyercute is a fairly new location in town, so if you need the address email ditkalamazoo@gmail.com.
Tonight The Black Lodge will be hosting an acoustic night featuring Jerry Fels and the Jerry Fels, who is actually just one man. Currently on tour to celebrate his 2011 release “Evil is the Root of All Money,” Jerry is a solo acoustic performer whose music has both a poignant introspection and a wonderful sense of humor. With such songs as “Bad Bad Bad Bad Money” and “Girl You Make Me Want to Change My Number,” Jerry’s tongue is planted firmly in his cheek.
Supporting him are several local performers including Boy Becomes Hero, folk songs with a distinctly personal bent.
Nick DeMott, who veers through various topics with a whimsical appreciation for the American roots folk/ blues sound.
Rounding it out will be Neil Shah, best known for his involvement with several popular Kalamazoo bands like Ackley Kid, Witch Fingers, and Statia.
Show starts at 9PM. Please bring donations for the traveling troubadour.
Singer against meadow. That’s about the sound of the show tomorrow night.
It’s going to be a Kalamazoo kind of night, right? There are some locals, or used-to-be locals, looking to provide some excellent acoustic-based music for No Fun House goers tomorrow night at 8:30 p.m. Apparently there will also be pasty, nervous, film-maker there pleading for interviews, but it may be safe to ignore him as just another victim of too much music, schooling, and un-protected basement crawls. Remember, never sweat next to exposed dry-wall.
The proficiently productive performer recently returned to Kalamazoo as part of his vinyl-release tour Small Houses will be featured tomorrow night. To go with the release tour, Jeremy Quentin has also prepared a 4-piece band to back his guitar/harmonica combo, although this isn’t quite kosher with the No Fun House dialect, so it’ll be a surprise. Back to the music. The Ron-Swanson looking fellow has been featured everywhere from Daytrotter to A.V. Club, but for reasons beyond his formidably hirsute lip. Jeremy Quentin’s sound seems founded in the same love shared for his shirts–trotting on the edge of the country as a cowboy, singing a tune with a voice that seems grasped with the tinge of Marlboro’s. Most songs sound sad; more tears than whiskey.
Another Kalamazoo native, Elisabeth Pixley-Fink will be featuring her willow-the-whisp, Gary Jules-esque, deep-forest vocals that are as childishly playful as they are nervously morose. While usually paired with piano, EPF’s sound is vaguely reminiscent of She & Him, but more complicated in its experimental poetics and its bloody exploration of folk-songs. Fiddling with a banjo, an ever-so bitterly tuned piano, and a bowler hatted guitar player, Pixley-Fink seems to be the natural progression of a new-folk movement. Even if performing solo (without common companion Andru Bemis), EPF would be treat to for those that wish to see the state of all those summer-backyards that we used to play tag in, underneath the willow, and beyond the hills. As fun skipping down a dirt road, while enigmatic as the hole burrowed behind the oak tree.
Silphium Blooms is the on-going solo project of Tyler Basset (of the currently on-hiatus Neu Spryghts), an exhibition in meandering, grumbling, technical acoustic guitar playing–sounding a bit like an independent film-soundtrack from the 90’s. Most of this is based off the demo released this past Wednesday on Silphium Blooms’ bandcamp–so I suppose your opinion is just as fine as mine, mayhaps better. Listen for yourselves below:
Respect all things, including the music, yourself, and the house.
DITKalamazoo 
