local pals playing heavy music at crunch-time pace. On their first tour with their first record!
Former folks from one of the Kalamazoo favorites from across the lake ALTA
Hard hitting rock n roll /emo from Chicago ILLLL
Local Hunk Haus Heros and members of Natural Disasters
SHOW STARTS AT 8:00. RESPECT THE HOUSE // RESPECT THE EVERYONE // Don’t Ruin the fun for everyone just because you can’t keep it together. DONATE!
Email DITKALAMAZOO@GMAIL.COM for address
A few times each year, a show happens in Kalamazoo that is truly awe inspiring. The kind of event where everyone in attendance remembers and talks about it for months. Where the experience gets inside you and remains a subtle influence from there on.
I have been lucky enough to experience this kind of event several times this year already. Acid Mothers Temple. Keir Neuringer. Dead Rider. Chicago Underground Duo. Cheer-Accident.
If you attended any of those shows and felt the way I did, then this Friday at Louie’s is were you NEED to be!
Kate Slater has done this town a service by bringing in some absolutely incredible artists. Man Forever & So Percussion.
Man Forever is the side project of Kid Millions, drummer for legendary Psych band Oneida. So Percussion is a pioneering rhythm based group operating in the world of Modern Composition and the Avant-garde. Absolute pro level heavy hitters all around.
They are touring together with a brand new collaboration LP called “Ryonen” (Thrill Jockey).
Local Free Jazz duo Prognosis Negative will be kicking off the night.
Doors are at 9pm
Music starts at 9:30pm
Cover is $8
Attendance is 18+
For further proof of this show’s excellence, check out these two long playing videos:
Like most or all of the songs you will hear if you attend this show, this post will be short and to the point.
MARINE CORPSE are a hardcore band out of Bloomington, IN, making their second appearance in Kalamazoo. Loud, fast, angry, and just the best people. They get rave reviews so if this seems like you’re thing you’re probably going to love it.
JANE IRE also came to Kalamazoo for Marine Corpse’s last trip, and are from Cleveland, OH. I cannot find recordings, but word on the street is their queer hardcore.
DICYCLE are Grand Rapids grind. Enough said.
ANYBODY BUT THE COPS are your friendly neighborhood trash compactor of punk and related sounds.
DONATE TO THE TOURING BANDS, FOR REAL. SHOW AT 9:00.
Contact ditkalamazoo@gmail.com for the address.
Kalamazoo has become notable for being a go-to spot for DIY touring bands. Houses are packed, people are nice, the couches are bedbug free, and Michigan has limited poisonous creatures – all good news for the band on the go.
For all the hard work Kalamazoo does to make this town a good time for bands that come here, the amount of locals that really get out there and travel sometimes seems small. that’s why No Bails and Anybody But The Cops, embarking on two tours on the same day, is a notable happenstance.
NO BAILS are a long time West Michigan force of garage rock and sloppy punk, a key band associated with UFO Dictator, the mysterious local label responsible for bringing you all that is good in garage punk sounds once a year. No Bails are playing for the first time at Milhouse, and then taking off on a tour promoting their new new new new new record Epyx Shredder
ANYBODY BUT THE COPS are the scattered noise punk group that has played Milhouse more than anyone of that description. After 2.5 years and 3 drummers, they are going on their first tour. They cannot stop drawing traffic pylons.
This show is mainly to raise up some funds to begin these two tours, and to kick things off on the right foot. In order to do that, there’s even more!
If we’re trying to run the gamut of Kalamazoo punk in one small show, that means including a brand new band. TALVISOTA will be playing their second show ever. They are a two piece, because nobody really likes bass anyway, and they are nervous so show up on time and put their minds at ease.
Also on-the-spot painting will be had by friends of No Bails Michael Bailey.
Donate. Show starts at 9:00. Respect the house, friends new and old, and yourself. Be kind, rewind.
Message ditkalamazoo@gmail.com for address.
Corner Record Shop has got it going on! They’re hosting another premium Ambient Noise adventure featuring some local favorites and an out of town heavy hitter.
Doors at 8pm
Music at 9:30
All Ages
Bring money for the touring artist
BYOB (no jerks)
Buy records
Respect.
CRS is at 1710 West Main (Tiffany’s Village)
This will be one of the last shows before the store moves down to the Vine Neighborhood on July 1st. Enjoy while it lasts!
CITY HARVEST BLACK
Rochester, NY’s finest noise musician, Joel aka City Harvest Black will be gracing us with his presence. This is the real deal. No half stepping. Joel lays down some of the best ambient sounds, textures and moods you’ll ever witness. Kalamazoo is lucky to have him!
FTT Lite
Sean & Josh from Forget The Times are playing as a duo tonight. Just guitars, drones and shred (no drums).
SAXSQUATCH
Kalamazoo’s favorite Sax man will be skronkin’ it up and kickin’ off the festivities.
SID REDLIN
Longtime Kalamazoo noise champion. Sid will be laying down those heavy synth loops the only way he knows how.
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’s most notorious punk/ska band The Mushmen will be blowing up the toilets at Old Dog Tavern with their friends The Sailor Kicks, and Joe Disastr.
Joe Disastr is a folk-punker from Illinois who’s got a pocket full of familiar melodies as well as some originals. Here’s a quieter moment from his live set:
Grand Rapids’ Sailor Kicks play uptempo americana with smooth harmonies, occasional horn flourishes, and guitar + bass that’ll transport you back to 1997.
Finally, The Mushmen have been skanking their way to the top of Kalamazoo’s music scene with their all-in high energy live show. Here’s a full length video for their song “Buy the ticket, take the ride”
For a peek at what these dudes look like up close and in person, check them out performing “Sleep” live at 89.1 WIDR-FM:
I honestly thought Benji might leap through my monitor and tackle me to the ground. But he’s a sweetheart, come give him a hug this Saturday at 8pm at the Old Dog Tavern.
Let ’em know how many of your smiling faces they can expect to see bobbing in the front row by RSVPing to the Mushmen & Friends Facebook event.
Les Rhinocéros is a really great groovy experimental math rock band from Washington, DC. Don’t take my word for it, there are plenty of places you can find them on the internet. I had the opportunity to catch them at the Milhouse last year and I was absolutely blown away by their technical prowess and ability to create interesting and captivating emotive sounds-capes. If you’re a musician you should really check these guys out. I know that as an aspiring drummer I was inspired by the way their drummer plays.
Seventeen Again are awesome. They are one of my favorite local groups. Seventeen Again is like running with the bulls in Pamplona and falling down but getting out of the way just in time. Their sets are usually short and sweet so don’t miss out.
MOLD I am excited to see MOLD because as far as I know they are a relatively new outfit including former members of PAN. They are driving and volatile. They have conflict, they have resolution. They have angst, they have anger. They just christened a new venue a couple weeks ago at what looks like it was a stellar show.
This is sure to be a great show. You can’t miss seeing talented bands like this grace the same stage in Kalamazoo.
If you visit this site, you know Kalamazoo is a place for music. It’s not a place the big touring acts come to, it’s not a place with large venues and expensive tickets. But it is a place that fosters excellent and variable local acts, and brings small and up-and-coming touring acts from all over the world (yes, world).
And if you know this, you may also know the options as far as venues go – bars and basements. Though Kalamazoo has put together something wonderful using these spaces, the both come with their drawbacks and risks.
Something Kalamazoo has not had in many years, but does need and would use is a collective space. An all ages space run by the participants and not by business. A non profit space where people work to put on events, bring art to this small city, and make in accessible to everyone. In a town dictated by the college atmosphere, the bars are inaccessible to the younger residents of this city. And the basements are only accessible by word of mouth, and are risky endeavors that could easily disappear.
THE KALAMAZOO COLLECTIVE ARTS CENTER (or THE KCAC) is in line to add itself to the already excelling arts and music community. since 2008 many folks have come and gone on establishing this project. A new board has taken over to refresh, and they are showing tons of progress on making this idea a distinct reality.
Currently, The KCAC is in the fundraising stages of the project. you can check out their fundraising campaign here:
http://igg.me/at/thekcac/x/6857275
Please consider donating even just 5 dollars to this! If we do not do it together, it wont happen – Kalamazoo is a tried and true testament of this.
Though Kalamazoo is packed full of good bands of all sorts and sounds, there are a few key names that ring ubiquitous with the town – MINUTES, the four piece post-punk / rock and roll outfit, is 
definitely one of those names. Though over the last couple of years their live performances have been sporadic, the buzz around the band remains. Not only that, but they were able to throw together an incredible album at the end of last year.
Because of the occasional nature of their shows, consider this show an LP release for their 2nd full length ROLAND.
BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE!
MINUTES are bringing a few out of town friends to share with all of you. THE RUTABEGA out of South Bend and STOMATOPOD of Chicago will be performing and seeing what all the big fuss is about Kalamazoo. Plus local libraries of indie rock BORING PEOPLE will kick the night off.
And if this show didn’t seem enough like an event in and off itself, it is sponsored by THE CORNER RECORD SHOP as per RECORD STORE DAY.
But even more, still! Some of the buddies from MINUTES and other folks in the music and arts community of Kalamazoo are working diligently on creating an all ages, affordable and accessible all ages art space in Kalamazoo (known as the KCAC or Kalamazoo Collective Arts Center). They are currently in the fundraising stages and THIS SHOW IS ONE OF THOSE FUNDRAISERS. So please pay 5 at the door, or pay more! Or if you live in the modern age of digital money, you can donate at a somewhat later date directly on the indiegogo site.
If you want more information about the KCAC, please go to thekcac.org.
Doors at 8, show at 9. Donate if you know what’s good.
DITKalamazoo 
