The duo of Ghostland Observatory are just out to make you dance, plain and simple. Combining elements of funk, Prince, Bowie, and Daft Punk, the Austin duo of Aaron Behrens and Thomas Turner are just releasing their third album “Robotique Majestique”. It is trashy dance proto punk at its finest. Put those dancing shoes on…
(tour dates courtesy of lazy cut and paste from myspace)
Feb 29 2008 9:00P
Austin Music Hall (sold out) Austin, Texas
Mar 8 2008 9:00P
Langarado Music Festival Everglades, Florida
Mar 13 2008 9:00P
House of Blues New Orleans, Louisiana
Mar 15 2008 6:00P
Dallas Observer - St. Patrick’s Day Party Dallas, Texas
Mar 28 2008 9:00P
Webster Hall New York, New York
Mar 29 2008 9:00P
9:30 Club Washington DC, Washington DC
Apr 3 2008 9:00P
Crystal Ballroom Portland, Oregon
Apr 4 2008 9:00P
Showbox (sold out) Seattle, Washington
Apr 5 2008 9:00P
Showbox (sold out) Seattle, Washington
Apr 17 2008 9:00P
The Mezzanine San Francisco, California
Apr 18 2008 9:00P
Henry Fonda Theatre Los Angeles, California
Apr 19 2008 9:00P
Fox Theatre Boulder, Colorado
May 2 2008 9:00P
Metro Chicago, Illinois
May 3 2008 9:00P
St. Andrews Hall Detroit, Michigan
May 15 2008 9:00P
House of Blues San Diego, California
May 16 2008 9:00P
Joshua Tree Music Festival Joshua Tree, California
May 17 2008 6:00P
Southern Comfort Music Experience Atlanta, Georgia
Jun 13 2008 12:00P
Bonnaroo Music Festival Manchester, Tennessee
Muse - Feeling Good (Acoustic - Cover)
England
File Size: 2.98 mb, Length: 3:15
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Muse - Plug In Baby (Acoustic)
File Size: 3.02 mb, Length: 3:18
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A lot of times, when bands do acoustic sets, they sound a bit boring and unimpressive. Not so with Muse. I’ve been meaning to post these MP3s for like, a half a year now. In fact, I thought I’d already done it, but evidently not. They’re nothing new, but amazing if you like Muse. Matthew Bellamy can sing, for sure. A cover of “Feeling Good” and one of my favorite Muse tracks, “Plug In Baby” are here, in all of their acoustic glory. Long live Muse. One of few bands majors have gotten it right with, more or less.
There are actually acoustic versions of “Time Is Running Out” and “Sunburn” too but er, available upon request, I suppose.
Genghis Tron - Board Up the House
Philadelphia, PA
File Size: 9.5 mb, Length: 5:55
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The plague of Genghis Tron is almost upon this. The bands sophomore debut, “Board Up the House” showcases the electronic madness of noise. Don’t let the volume fool you, this three piece is made up of more electronic equipment then the laptop I write this post on. There isn’t even a drummer! This is the title track off the new album and it perfectly showcases the madness that is in store. Genghis Tron have also hopped on an incredible tour with the Converge and the Red Chord…too bad it isn’t hitting Seattle.
March 30, 2008 Worcester, MA
April 1, 2008 New York, NY
April 3, 2008 Cleveland, OH
April 4, 2008 Detroit, MI
April 5, 2008 Chicago, IL
April 6, 2008 Chicago, IL
April 8, 2008 Minneapolis, MN
April 9, 2008 Sioux Falls, SD
April 10, 2008 Iowa City, IA
April 11, 2008 Omaha, NE
April 12, 2008 Lawrence, KS
April 13, 2008 Denver, CO
April 15, 2008 Boise, ID
April 16, 2008 Portland, OR
April 18, 2008 Los Angeles, CA
April 19, 2008 Pomona, CA
April 20, 2008 Tempe, AZ
April 22, 2008 Austin, TX
April 23, 2008 Dallas, TX
April 24, 2008 Houston, TX
April 26, 2008 St. Petersburg, FL
Protest the Hero - Bloodmeat
Ontario
File Size: 6.8 mb, Length: 3:55
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I’m not one that is really that big on the new wave of metalcore. There are a few exceptions here and there, but those exceptions tend to be few and far between. And then there is Protest the Hero. I can’t exactly place what it is that makes this song so awesome. It is the first track off of just recently released album “Fortress.” I think it maybe because seemingly for once there are such a shambled mish-mash of genre blurring, none of it necessarily spectacular. But it is all done with a ferocious tenacity reeking of an almost uncalled for desperation. It may not be anything that fantastic, but Protest the Hero are worlds above its peers just by this one effort.
There are multiple new faces of metal. There is the stuff in the vein of Lamb of God and what not, made to thrive solely on the sheer power of meatheads and walls of death. Then there is the stuff sort of like Mastodon, made to make you think, made to make you question how it is technically possible to pull off what you just heard. Then there is The Sword. The Sword is a blast from the past, the finest elements of everything that made metal the ultimate genre. The new album “Gods of the Earth” doesn’t come out till April 1st, so this little taste will have to do. While those other bands make metal a bit more acceptable, The Sword, fueled by its monster rock riffs, make metal cool again.
Apr 14 : Lubbock, TX - Jake’s Sports Center w/ Slough Feg & Children
Apr 15 : Albuquerque, NM - Launchpad w/ Slough Feg & Children
Apr 16 : Phoenix, AZ - The Brick House w/ Slough Feg & Children
Apr 17 : San Diego, CA - The Casbah w/ Slough Feg & Children
Apr 19 : San Fransisco, CA - Slim’s w/ Slough Feg & Children
Apr 22 : Seattle, WA - Neumo’s w/ Slough Feg & Children
Apr 24 : Boise, ID - Neurolux w/ Slough Feg & Children
Apr 25 : Salt Lake City, UT - Club Vegas w/ Slough Feg & Children
Apr 26 : Denver, CO - Bluebird Theater w/ Slough Feg & Children
Apr 28 : Wichita, KS - BarleyCorns w/ Slough Feg & Children
Apr 29 : Oklahoma City, OK - The Conservatory w/ Slough Feg & Children
Doomtree - Flex
Minneapolis, MN
File Size: 3.47 mb, Length: 3:01
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Doomtree is a rap collective out of Minneapolis. Commonly associated with the general Rhymesayers crew, the 11 man/woman group (led by defacto leader P.O.S) brings a punk influenced brand of hip-hop to the forefront of the movement. Although like most collectives (ahem…Wu-Tang) the live performances of all members on the same stage are quite rare, it makes listening to the album that much more sweet. “Flex” opens up the “False Hopes” album and sets a tone that never quits, hard, heavy, introspective, self-degrading, but completely honest and true.
BANGARANG! If the fact that this band just about has the best name ever isn’t enough to make you give their music a try, why don’t you take our word for it? We’ve been keeping our eyes on these guys for three years, and after a haitus, they’re back with some jams. Radiohead may have just given their album away, but that idea has been brewing in the heads of Bangarang for a while. And they will soon be giving away their EP for nothing at all. Check out these two tracks, which are recorded and mixed by the band themselves and Mark Pirro of ever flamboyant Polyphonic Spree. They will release it under their own label, Beatnik Vending Machine. All good things for the indie music scene, so let’s see how far these guys take this concept.
The Loved Ones - Pretty Good Year
Philadelphia, PA
File Size: 3.9 mb, Length: 2:14
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Certain labels tend to acquire a descriptive form for the bands that reside on that label. Def-Jux? Intelligent rap. Sub-Pop? Used to be noise, now it means sugary indie-rock. Fat Wreck? Punk rock. No surprise there, as Fat Wreck is owned by Fat Mike, frontman of NOFX. The Loved Ones just released its sophomore album “Build And Burn” and are showcasing some of the better pop-punk you have ever heard. In a genre that got over-saturated and died off years ago, The Loved Ones, comprised of Dave Haus (ex-Paint It Black), Michael Cotterman (ex-Kid Dynamite), and Mike Sneeringer (ex-Trial By Fire) are reminding me why pop-punk was such a guilty pleasure back in high school. “Build and Burn” flexes the punk-rock chops, but it is the latter half of the album where the bluegrass and folk influences come in that the music really gets good.
Mono - Yearning
Japan
File Size: 23.7 mb, Length: 15:38
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Like a lot of people out there, I’ve had the pleasure of being very pleasantly surprised by the reverb drenched sound of Mono. The Japanese quartet play a brand of instrumental post-rock remnicscent of some of Mogwai’s most fierce moments. Live, however, Mono is a four headed beast of pure harmonious bliss, thundering drums, scorching guitars, and earplugs. Earplugs are a most for its shows. Mono also just released a fantastic DVD that is a bit different from most band DVDs. It has its fair share of live performances, but it also chronicles the bands journey on those performances, all to the tune of Mono songs. Like Mono, long, drawn out, but beautiful.
Dr. Dan Yemin has a lot of street cred. And he has been a busy guy as of late as well. Earlier last year he reformed his beloved pop-punk band from the early 90’s Lifetime, released a new album, and toured in support. Not one to take too much time off, he stepped back into his lead vocalist role for the Paint It Black’s newest album “New Lexicon”. The result is perhaps the bands finest hour…or as close as it can cut it to. Clocking in at around a half hour, the blistering pace of every song is only matched by the rage in Dr. Dan’s scream. People who think that hardcore died with Black Flag need to take note, from the influential pop-punk stylings of Lifetime, to the influential hardcore punk stylings of Kid Dynamite, to what no doubt will be the influential hardcore pummelings of Paint It Black, Dr. Dan is keeping the genre alive.
