Disappears: Guider
Within the first thirty seconds of Disappears’ second LP in thirteen months, it’s obvious that this band hates wasting time. After spending nearly two years in limbo when its first record label (Touch and Go) folded, the Chicago band has spent the past several months gradually regaining speed. While I mean that critically, it also [...]
Free Energy: 02.04.2011
I’ve given up trying to figure out how people do or do not hear about awesome bands coming to town, as well as trying to explain why, after finding out about a particular show, a person decides whether he or she will or will not attend. The southern leg of Philly rockers Free Energy‘s tour [...]
Royal Teeth: Live Office Session EP
I’m sure I’m not the first person to compare local newcomers Royal Teeth to Brooklyn-based experimental rock band Dirty Projectors, as each group’s unique sound is anchored by the acrobatic interaction of male and female voices. But where Dave Longstreth of Dirty Projectors sets swirling vocal harmonies against stripped down instrumentation and nimble time signature [...]
Monotonix: 01.31.2011
There was something ominous about the thick fog that rolled into New Orleans on the evening of January 31, 2011. This, of course, made us all very excited, as few thrills can top the combination of hazardous driving conditions in the Crescent City and a Caddywhompus show at One Eyed Jack’s. But it didn’t stop [...]
Ben Labat and the Happy Devil: 01.28.2011
Every once in a while it’s healthy to come back to your comfort zone. On my way to see Ben Labat and the Happy Devil play, I knew I was in for a scene of familiar faces, affectionate crowds, and potent drinks. In fact, while paying cover at Carrollton Station, I realized that I’ve never [...]
Happy Talk Band: 01.26.2011
New Bywater bar Siberia hit the ground running when it opened in October. Owned and operated by a group of former Mimi’s bartenders, it began hosting shows before the proprietors even settled on an official name for the place. Fliers around the city and postings on NOLADIY appeared with more and more frequency, promoting performances [...]
The Get Up Kids: There Are Rules
The Get Up Kids are a band probably best known for bringing emo music to the nauseating forefront of mainstream rock in the early 2000s. Whatever your opinions are on the merits of emo or the bands that identify themselves as such, you can probably acknowledge that the Get Up Kids have for a long [...]
Jenny and the Holzers: 01.18.2011
With the abundance of available bars and musical venues for even the most entry-level New Orleans bands, I was somewhat surprised to find myself at a basement show recently. It isn’t that I don’t know shows like this exist, because I do. Maybe I’m not nearly as “in the know” as I should be; maybe [...]
Smiley With A Knife: Long Now
It’s been ages since I was able to enjoy this kind of music. The last time math rock held any meaning for me was the fall of 2005. I was living in Baton Rouge in the time between Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and I had spent four days on an uncomfortable couch in a powerless, [...]
