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We recently caught wind of the Scranton, PA-based CD-R label Stress Carrier. Four of the label's bands just put out new releases, but it is Chuck Keller, the label's founder, who's band we are most impressed with. His Fulmarine Petrels just released their new What A Wonderful World EP which contains the classic rock leaning punk number "Gold In The Yard." And just as a bonus we're throwing in "Someday This Will All Be Yours" (which is not a pAper chAse cover) from their Yes No Minutes Seconds EP.
We were excited about the recent opening of Pause/Replay, a performance/art gallery space and musician consignment shop respectively, in Grapevine. When renovations are finalized, the complex will also feature Play, aka rehearsal spaces.
Youthless are comprised of 50% London garage rock 50% New York dance savvy. The duo are now based out of Lisbon, Portugal, where they've already been called upon to open for the likes of Crystal Castles and GvB fave Wavves. The bedroom version of "Blondie" which was recorded as a demo doesn't appear to have made the cut on their latest release, but there is something about that that almost makes it seem even better. Download the latest EP Telemachy here.
Brad Oberhofer, who's lo-fi bedroom recordings started catching the attention of several influential bloggers last fall, recently hired a backing band and a publicist, and recorded himself a 7". Not too shabby for someone who's only 19. Of course interning at Matador Records doesn't hurt ones chances either.
It's no secret around these parts how much we adore both The Hood Internet and Yeahdef (who is up for the Best DJ DOMA). We have Guestlists from both that prove as much. So we don't really have to tell you how jazzed we are that we get to see both at this Friday at The Loft. It is not just because of the two great DJ acts either; The Loft --with it's gorgeous view of the city and wooden floors that give way when crowds really start moving-- is just about the perfect place for one of these more dance-oriented shows to take place. Heck, I remember being bounced like a trampoline on that floor when Diplo was in town. It's that perfect balance of elation and fear that make seeing shows there such an experience.
There was a glow of celebration in the air this past Saturday evening radiating out from the quaint, florescent marquee of Hailey’s in Denton. Infrequent Exposure, a broadcast from the UNT radio station, KNTU 88.1, was celebrating its one-year anniversary. This radio show, hosted by the lovely Hollie Groos, is a broadcast featuring local artists of all sorts that you might not hear about otherwise. Infrequent Exposure airs on Saturday nights from 7-9 p.m.
Dallas is finally finding it’s musical feet again after a long period of just lying on it’s back with its legs in the air like a giant, dead spider-city. A new living organism of genuinely good music is emerging from under the sun-bleached bones of Deep Ellum and the Dallas music scene alike. Life is coming back to this old town, and Dallas based Ronnie Fauss is giving breath to this new body of music. 
As most of you SubExers out there know, we completely support and embrace our great, local music scenes here in Texas. KXT 91.7 FM is a locally based radio station here in North Texas that was started just eight months ago. It is an independent station that features local artists like Doug Burr, Old 97’s, Telegraph Canyon, Midlake, Sarah Jaffe and even SubEx’s own Mount Righteous and A.M. Ramblers mixed with great artists of yesterday and today like MGMT, Neil Young, Dr. Dog, The Velvet Underground, Tom Waits and Deer Tick. Where the hell else could you get such greatness all on one station?! Nowhere, I say!
It's not even a question anymore. Over the past couple of years Chicago's The Hood Internet have mixed and matched their way into our hearts, becoming far and away our favorite mashup artists in the process. And it is not even close. 
For a six-piece Invincible Czars manage to make an awful lot of racket. That is to say that the group who's instrumentation ranges from upright bass, electric violin, saxophone, electric guitar, keyboards, and drums create a brand of avant-garde Queens of the Stone Age-meets-St. Vincent pop would be no more out of place serving as the score to a Tim Burton flick as they would a Kubrick film.
This is our first attempt at putting together a mixcast-style thing, but we hope to be able to do more of these in the very near future. The idea came when we noticed all the best lo-fi, punk, and lo-fi punk songs that came up on the iPod shuffle-mode were by Texas artists. Just makes sense to make a quick sampler-type mix that can be passed around to show of our proud state's great talent. Stream and/or download the mix below. And feel free to send it to your out-of-state buddies while you drink a victory beer --preferably a Lone Star, come on, it would only be fitting.
Ever since Passion Pit's Manners was released in May of last year it seems like they've have pretty much been out on the road non-stop playing shows. An exhausting proposition for any band, sure, but there's got to be an extra level of torment for somebody who sings as characteristically cartoony as Michael Angelakos does night in and night out. He was already showing signs of trouble last time they came through town, and this was back in June of '09, mind you.
My Old Kentucky Blog's newish Roaring Colonel imprint is quickly becoming one of my favorite labels. Their latest find are Indianapolis lo-fi grunge-psych rockers Burnt Ones. The self-professed T. Rex fans latest record sounds like a collection of unreleased cassette demos somebody just recently discovered in Mark Bolan's attic; even 30 years of dust and tape warp couldn't hide all its glammy goodness. Look for the release of their latest full length Black Teeth & Golden Tongues in August (via).
Giggle Party's Going Away Party, tonight at the Handsome Kitten (824 Exposition #8, Dallas, TX)
Let's face it, as cool as it was to see indie rock trailblazers Lou Barlow and Mike Watt collaborators The Missingmen sharing the stage last fall at the Granada Theater, there was something a little malapropos about the whole thing. I mean, even back when the lo-fi pioneer was making some of the most revolutionary albums of his career, it still wasn't unusual to catch him performing in a buddy's basement as it would be a dirty punk club.
Judging from all the Tweets I was reading a lot of folks had the pleasure of discovering Brooklyn electronic duo Holy Ghost! last night at the Palladium. My first exposure to these guys was a couple of summers ago when their debut EP Hold On was just coming out and iTunes decided to make the title track it's 'free single of the week'. Apple aren't who I normally expect to be breaking buzz bands, especially not before any of the big blog sites out there, but to their credit they do employ a very well-compensated music-director who actually does appear to know what he's doing from time to time.
We've already mentioned a few times how much we're going to miss Giggle Party after they pack up and leave us next week. Looks like the feeling is mutual. GP synth/vocalist Kat Michie put together this podcast which features some of her favorite local acts, as well as Giggle Party's ode to Deep Ellum, "Our Dumb Memories". *Tear. She wrote the following farewell note on her Tumblr account:I made this mix to celebrate some of the Dallas (and Denton) bands I love as well as the city itself as we depart Texas in a week. Almost all of these bands you can purchase their albums on iTunes, which I highly recommend. Young and Brave you can purchase on BandCamp. There are so many more good bands from Dallas and Denton and Fort Worth than are here, but even just putting this together has made me realize how good this scene is and how grateful I am for getting to play with them and even better, getting to be friends with so many of these bands. Enjoy.Giggle Party have one last show at their Handsome Kitten venue which will serve as a last opportunity to send them off in style, and to let them know the feeling is mutual.
Last night Swedish rockers Miike Snow brought their pulsating beats and driving melancholic rhythms to the Granada Theater, nearly transforming the place into a full-on rave in the process. Read my full take on the shindig over at DC9.
Photo by Nicole Browner/The Bay Bridged
I’ve just spent the last several hours working on a lengthy piece for print which talks about cassettes and their DIY ethic. That being said, I’m a bit tapped.
We don't do too many of these types of posts over here at SubEx where it lists out our best bets for the weekend, but perhaps we should; live music is what this whole thing is about, no? By the looks of it, it's going to be a good Friday, and Saturday as well. So we thought we'd give you a little rundown of what all is going down. So without further ado (or subtle jabs at our friends), here are this weekend's shows of note.
It hasn't been that long since we were first turned on to the no-fi scuzz of Austin's The Zoltars, but they've quickly become staples in our current rotation. They've recently put the finishing touches on their new album of sing-a-longable 'voodoo chant songs' which will be available at shows starting this week.
My first years of formal musical education came during the early 90's grunge boom and a part of me longs for those simpler times when shouting over a mixture of sloppily strummed power chords and feedback put you on the forefront of progress. And it has made me exceptionally disappointed recently every time one of my early musical heroes puts out a shitty new album, further marring their legacy in my mind. Pearl Jam got soft and predictable, STP got even more blatant about their plagiarism, heck even the latest Foo Fighters record was pretty soft.
Knowing Mikey would be in town over the holiday weekend, I also knew that at some point we'd inevitably end up at a norebang, or Korean-style karaoke. Unlike our typical norebang adventures, Mikey brought along a girl he had just met from China and her roommate from Japan. As we started entering songs into the system they informed us that they only knew how to sing songs from their native countries, with the lone exception being "I Want It That Way" by the Backstreet Boys which they somehow both knew completely in english.
