The Mountain Movers are a classic modernity!

The warm tape hiss forewarns of the the abrupt and awesome sonic blast of the first track of The Mountain Movers new 45RPM single. "I Watch The Sea" cracks open like an egg and instantly attracts with its melange of classic and current rock swagger. I hear everything from The Stones to Sonic Youth in this song. It's bursting with attitude and from what I understand is a current live favorite (and rightly so!). This song has several false endings so keep on it, as I am sure this could easily turn into a much longer song live. Up next is the prettiest song on this 45, "World What World" charms us with a lean 1:26 of sweet waxy pop. I think this song stands out as the most accessible one, and thankfully we are able to post/stream it HERE.

Side B has slow chugger "I've Been To Space". While noticably more discordant than the other side, this song is nonetheless as engaging and remarkable. The environment is airy and menacing and eventually unfolds into a squealing feedback outro. I noticed it seems like this 7 " is like day and night on the opposing sides, which I think is pretty neat. The vibes of the music on the first side are certainly more conventionally melodic, and side B is dark and creepy, as well as slightly dissonant.

I am a huge fan of vinyl and this 45 brought back the sensations of my first few K records singles. There is a certain warm excitement that comes from dropping the needle on a short piece of wax from an artist you know is making music not only out of love for creation, but also out of love for the medium they chose. The Mountain Movers take the old, and they make it new!

I did a brief email interview with Rick of The Mountain Movers:

This 45 is very classic! Classic sounding and designed. Is this going to be a single series like the old days? How many singles do you have planned?

This single, "Sea/World/Space", is the first of 3 planned 45rpm 7 inch singles. We will release the next two in the new year. It is a mini-series, in that sense. We are currently working on the next one. Each single will have the same Car Crash Avoiders label sleeve with die-cut center, but there will be design variations on the actual label on the record. Been having a lot of love for the ol' 7" single lately. The format, the label sleeve, the artifact itself...it is really quite special. We were very inspired, visually, by the singles of 60s and 70s. But, of course, Dan Greene has his distinct artistic style that he puts on everything we do, which I think is very unique. It's our twisted homage to that style.

Have you found working with tape to vinyl has met your expectations?

Yes. Tape is the best! All of our releases have been recorded onto tape, with the exception of our debut CD (and picture disc 7" single, recorded during those same sessions). We love records and think there is something truly unique about the format. Tape is warm and organic, fussy and temperamental, just like us. Give us tape...2 inch 16-track reel-to-reel, 4-track cassette tape home recorder...we'll take it any day over digital recording. We love tape hiss. We always include a digital copy with our full length LP releases as we understand folks like to have it for their on-the-go devices (car stereo, mp3 player, etc) but really we are putting out music we love on the formats we love: vinyl and tape.

What is your favorite 45?

This question is near impossible to answer! Personally speaking, prior to this last summer, I would have probably picked a Peruvian cumbia 45 as they sound amazing and look totally awesome with their record label sleeves and interesting label artwork. But right now my most beloved 45 is one that I picked up in Morocco. I don't know who it is and I can't tell if the writing I can read (the few words that are not written in the Arabic alphabet) is the name of the songs, or the singer. "El Farka Chaabia" is the best guess I can make as to the name of the artist. But it is absolutely beautiful, inside and out. I can tell you it is on Koutoubiaphone, the premier Moroccan label of the early 70s, which is when this single dates back to. And while this particular Koutoubiaphone single has a picture sleeve with stunning front and back cover images, their generic label sleeve of the time is very awesome too.

Thanks for the compliment, we are feeling very accomplished with this one! It's nice to have a new release that reflect the current line-up, which we are enjoying tremendously.

And thanks for taking the time to ask some questions!
Cheers
-Rick

Well, there you have it. Go enjoy this and the future 45 singles from this CT powerhouse!


The Mountain Movers - World What World by CTINDIE

MUSIC FOR MEALS at The Space on Saturday!

Quinnipiac University's 98.1 WQAQ Hosts Upcoming Benefit Concert

Hamden, CT. November 12, 2011--Quinnipiac University's student-run radio station, WQAQ, is holding its annual Music For Meals benefit concert on Saturday, November 12 at The Space in Hamden, CT. Headlining the concert is Brooklyn-based folk pop band Laura Stevenson & The Cans, featuring members of Latterman and Bomb the Music Industry. Their Sophmore LP, "Sit, Resist" was named one of the best records of 2011 by Marcus Gilmer of the A.V. Club.

Rounding out the lineup are Connecticut locals Great Caesar and psychedelic lo-fi group High Pop. The premier of High Pop's "hippie speed ball" was featured online on the College Music Journal. It was also reviewed on CTINDIE.COM right HERE.

Opening the show is New Jersey garage punk band Conor and the Stone Hill Kids. They recently released their independent debut "Don't Move."

Proceeds from the concert will be brought to the Hamden Food Bank to provide food for the Thanksgiving holiday. The Hamden Food Bank is a part of the Keefe Community Center, an organization that works diligently to better the Hamden community.

98.1 WQAQ hosts a charity concert at The Space every November. Past headliners have included Cymbals Eat Guitars, Patent Pending, and Nightmare of You. Doors open at 7 PM and admission is only five dollars, or free with two canned goods.

Check out 98.1 WQAQ on:
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Howl Brings The Heavy To Milford on November 17

Rhode Island’s Howl, deal in the type of filthy, down tuned riff worship that makes any fan of the loud and noisy stuff, grin from ear to ear. Over the course of one EP, and one critically lauded debut album, “Full Of Hell” (both on Relapse), the band has proven they have what it takes to make interesting and exciting heavy music. After getting the debut out of the way, the band is now getting ready to prep album number two, which according to drummer Timmy St. Amour is a very important one in a band’s career.

“There is definitely pressure because the second record is usually known as a make-or-break record. We’re just excited about the new material and we’re looking to show people how far we’ve progressed as a band. We can’t wait for this to come out,” said drummer Timmy St. Amour.
After playing an exhilarating gig at the first annual, Metalsucks.net, Suck Fest last week in New York City, the band is in writing mode, as they get ready to work on more new material for the record and do a string of headlining live dates.

So far, they have 8 songs ready for the record with about another 7 that need a little work. The plan is to have more songs than they need, so when they enter the studio in February or March of next year, they can pick and choose what works best for them. They plan on having the record out in late spring or early summer.

As far as the new material goes, St. Amour says that the new material is a little more straightforward and faster, belying some black metal and speed metal influences, but it’s still plenty heavy and filthy. It’s still Howl, through and through.

To help them out, new member, guitarist Josh Durocher-Jones, has flown in from his home in Cleveland to partake in the live activities and writing process. He is staying at St. Amour’s house.

While it might seem odd that while the rest the band, including guitarist/vocalist Vincent Hausman and bassist Rob Icaza make their homes in Rhode Island, their new member lives in the Midwest. Durocher-Jones came highly recommended from ex-touring mates (and metal warriors in their own right) Skeletonwitch, and has proved his mettle on the road for the band and will make his recorded debut with the band on the new record. St. Amour said it really is no big deal, because Durocher-Jones just flies in whenever they need him to write, record or tour.
They also recently completed and released a video for the “Full Of Hell” track, “Heavenless”, which is a gory and over the top rendering of the song full of bad table manners, fight scenes and pseudo-Victorian clothing. It’s a fun, yet slightly goofy introduction to the band.

St. Amour said it was fun to do, but next time they will exude a little more creative control and make the video a little more serious.

As noted from higher up in this article, Howl are from Rhode Island and so are a bunch of other great loud and heavy bands. For a state its size it seems to turn out a lot of great bands, almost more than should be expected and Howl are proud to come from such a rich scene.
“It’s a really unique music scene. The foundation was laid down by heavy noise bands like Lightning Bolt and the warehouse scene, but that goes back about 10 years. There is also Dropdead and the whole Armageddon record label and store, too. It’s a mixing pot, where kids from the noise scene will go see metal, and people from other scenes will go to another scene’s show. There are no weird competitions. It’s been breeding outside the box for quite some time,” said St. Amour.

(It will be noted that this writer has heard from several Connecticut residents who go to shows in state, that if they could afford it, they would go to Providence for shows. For me, I wish there was less competition between the scenes and maybe some co-operation, but I know that’s a pipe dream.)

But all griping aside, this looks to be fine bill with Howl headlining over a bunch of bands that are all excellent in their own right. Judging by the description on the Manic Productions web site, Worms In Women And Cattle look to bring it, while Sea Of Bones and Red Blade look to represent Connecticut metal in a good way. So why not? It’s a solid bill from top to bottom.


Manic Productions Presents:

Howl
Worms In Women And Cattle
Sea Of Bones
Red Blade

Thursday, November 17
Daniel Street
21 Daniel Street
Milford, CT

8pm - $10 – 21+ BUY TICKETS NOW or pick them up at Redscroll Records.

Joe Lally Plays BAR on November 16

Photo © Antonia Tricarico

Joe Lally is a man of few words, mainly letting his music do the talking for him. Whether laying down memorable bass riffs, such as the intro for “Waiting Room” by Fugazi or over the course of many side projects and three solo records (“There To Here”, “Nothing Is Underrated” and “Why Should I Get Used To It”), showing an ability to always push himself into new and exciting sonic environments, he has shown he is one of the most innovative punk musicians of the last 20 years.

Even though the shadow of Fugazi looms large, he has managed to carve himself a nice little niche with his solo records, which where started under the humblest of circumstances.

“When Fugazi went on break I found that I wasn't ready to stop playing live music. I had to find a way to keep going,” said Lally.

This led him to three solo records, even solo records would be a misnomer, because the first two, 2006’s “There To Here” and 2007’s “Nothing Is Underrated” are basically collaborations with such underground rock luminaries as Ian MacKaye, Eddie Janney and Scott “Wino” Weinrich. Even on his new record, “Why Should I Get Used To It”, which was recorded in Rome, where Lally makes his home with his wife and daughter, he brought in musicians Elisa Abela (guitar) and Emanuele Tomasi (drums) to help him work out his vision.

Still, despite the collaborative effort of these releases, there are some major differences between how these were done and how writing and recording was done in Fugazi.

“That was the effort of four individuals. My solo work is much more the efforts of one (with some help). I sound the same on bass I think, but most similarities with Fugazi end there. Lyrically I don't think I write anything like Guy or Ian,” said Lally.

Even though, there is a slight difference between the first two solo records and the new one. In the case of the new one, he knew ahead of time who his musicians would be, so that helped greatly in finding a unified sound.

“The first two were written rather open ended. I left a space for what would be the "lead" instrument. With the last one I was ready to see what I might write on guitar. I can't really play guitar so I thought that would keep it interesting. Once I had Elisa as a regular player I wrote a few directed at her way of playing. She's a natural improviser. It's still me writing on bass and singing. That keeps the songs sounding like mine,” said Lally.

When asked who his favorite bass players are, Lally cites the following: Larry Graham, Bootsy Collins, Jah Wobble, Peter Hook, Rick Denko, and Chiara Locardi to name a few. He admits he likes them for their originality and if you listen to any of Lally’s work you will there are a wide range of influences on it, it’s not like he is just influence by funk bassists or dub ones, but by a wide variety of musicians.

Even though, he stays humble when talking how his own bass playing has evolved since his early days.

“I'm not so sure. From the inside of it you can't really measure that. It's been like 26 years or whatever since I picked up the instrument. I'm certainly better at picking out what I like to hear,” said Lally.

Even though, he has been living in Rome for the past four years, he still hasn’t lost interest in what goes in the United States. For instance he is very encouraged by the current “Occupy” protests that have been going on in many cities across our fair land.

“I think it's great. It's the kind of action I think people need to take. It turned rather violent here in Rome the other day, but I think that kind of protest obliterates the message. I think a stronger message is made when people of all kinds are involved, children and the elderly should be in on it. When it gets violent they'll say it was a few young hooligans and dismiss the whole thing,” said Lally.

So come on down to BAR next Wednesday and witness the return of one of the preeminent punk rock musicians of the past 20 years. Sure it’s a Wednesday and it’s Connecticut, but it’s free and should feature some awesome music. So what’s your excuse this time?

Manic Productions Presents:

Joe Lally
Mick Barr
Helen Money

Wednesday, November 16
BAR – New Haven
254 Crown Street
New Haven, CT

9:00pm – Free – 21+

Stephen Bennett at Roaring Brook

Saturday November 19, 2011
Stephen Bennett
Harp Guitarist

Stephen Bennett is a finger-picking genius on all types of guitars, from acoustic to National Steel resonators, but his expertise lies in playing beautiful tunes on the harp guitar. His style is haunting and moving, and draw you right in with the sheer emotion.

On Saturday Nov 19th he will be playing a solo show at Roaring Brook Nature Center in Canton. Definitely worth checking out.





Roaring Brook Nature Center
70 Gracey Road, Canton, CT 06019
$18.00/ $20.00 Door

For more info check out:
http://www.roaringbrookconcerts.org/

The Field Recordings deserve your attention!

The Field Recordings pump out high energy guitar-driven pop music. This band could fit in nearly anywhere in the past 30 years of indie rock. I had a chance to see them play at Freight Street Gallery on Friday 10/14 and they gave it their all. It was late and the crowd was dwindling, but the remaining audience members were whipped into a frenzy at first song and stayed going strong until the last beat. Aside from the obvious skill of each of the 3 band members, what impressed me most was how much it appeared that each enjoyed playing the music. Many of the songs intricacies clearly appealed to each member in different ways, and it showed in the performance.

So I got my hands on a copy of their newest release, a full length album called "The Elastic Nostalgia", and the translation from live act to recorded set goes very smoothly. The energy shines through the recordings and has some pretty solid replay value. The drums and bass were expertly played and recorded, as solid as any band of this model can ask for. The parts may appear simple but the embellishments of the drummer (Jared Thompson) and bassist (Noel Thomas) end up being imperative nuances. Then there are the guitar and vocal stylings of Daniel Gallo. This guy knows how to create environments with guitar. The effects he uses manage to change the context of the part he is playing without distracting you from seamless enjoyment. I was most impressed at the careful thought that seems to be evident in the types of tones and effects he chooses for each song. They compliment the compositions gorgeously. The vocals, while quirky, come across as their own sound. I don't like to compare but the vocals contain many different characteristics, from the spazziness of DEVO to the soulful crooning of Dirty Projectors. It's all over the place and dead on note somehow all at the same time.

Now for the album: The collection of songs stands as a unit or as individuals, I really couldn't find an "out of place" moment on the whole thing. Nearly all of the songs have standout potential as singles. Track 2 "(Caught Up In All The) Interludes" is an obvious choice for a lead single, and is placed as such. The time changeups on "Framing Happiness" are wonderful and almost completely seamless despite how dramatically the timing changes. It was at this point where I realized these gentlemen make a much smarter pop music than is generally made. Album closing track "STATESCAPES" is a fitting conclusion. Celebrating the energy prevalent on the entirety of the album as well as providing a musical farewell greeting.

I had a chance to do a phone interview with Daniel Gallo, and here's how it went:


The Field Recordings both live and on record sounds like accomplished musicians all playing in a like-minded model, what were some of the earlier bands you and the other members played in?


Jared and I were in a bunch of really awful punk bands in high school, we've been playing together since we were like 14 and Noel has done just about... everything...


The Elastic Nostalgia is an example of a set of songs that are creatively related, were there any outtakes or songs that did not make the cut?

Yeah, there was one.


Do you have any plans on releasing it?

No. It was a really old one. I think we were already pretty tired of playing it. It could have been a good song, but we lost our objectivity on it. It was one of our really early songs so to me it was pretty evident that I was just patching stuff together and we were just fumbling our way through. We never liked playing it and it got really old and I think we subconsciously tanked the recording of it so we couldn’t put it on the album.


Is there a narrative or story pertaining to The Elastic Nostalgia?

I've really only been thinking about that since its been out, retrofitting a meaning to it. But I'm trying to think of my favorite albums and bands and stuff that I listen to, and what I hold a good album to be, did we actually make that? That seems like a huge mountain for us to have left, as far as like how could we have possibly made it, the album, so to speak. But there are a lot of things that link all the songs together in title or obviously there’s a certain "gallows humor" that runs through all the songs. I think they all do make a piece, make a whole.

What is The Elastic Nostalgia?

I’m hoping it’s one of those nebulous phrases where people can try to understand without technically knowing what it means, like a Bob Dylan lyric or something. It’s a suffocating feeling, to me anyway. It's mostly about getting to this age and looking around at the stuff we've been raised on and you get to a point where you have to reassess everything and there’s no clear path forward and it's a process of looking around and taking the stuff that just does not work and trying to get away from it. It touches on nostalgia being a marketing trick, another point of exploitation. As far as I can feel it, it’s a huge enveloping white noise.

The Field Recordings seem to be a very poppy band, but with complicated time changes and flamboyant energies. How do you maintain your pop sensibilities without getting too far "out there"?

At first when we started we would put down these things we just didn’t want to do. I didn’t want to use bar chords, and I didn’t want to write songs about chicks and whatever. Those were the majorly important things and to try and figure out how to get from one section to another without Noel or I [re-treading something too many times] so some of our old songs were like really pretty tedious 5+ minute long songs just trying to figure out how to even go about it. But I’m hoping that were pretty good self editors, I think I have a pretty decent idea of what will test peoples patience.

What are your plans for the near and far futures?

We're trying to move this forward in a legitimate kind of way. We have to get someone interested. I mean we're a little on the older side for just knocking around town. We're sending stuff out; we're trying to figure out what comes next. Further future, I’d love to get more people in the band, if that’s even possible. At least a keyboardist! I’d really love to make a record that’s longer and dance music.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now there was much more to this interview than was transcribed, as it was done over the phone. To hear the interview in its nearly unedited entirety, check it out HERE

ALSO you had better go see them TONIGHT 11/9 at the ROCCUPATION NEW HAVEN event at CAFÉ NINE at 9PM:

250 State Street

New Haven, CT

Check out the Facebook Event HERE

The Field Recordings - (Caught Up In All The) Interludes by CTINDIE

Review: Brain Room's "Axis II"

Were the men of Brain Room not musicians, but rather painters, they would no doubt be masters of the landscape, tirelessly manipulating light and shadow and shade and color to render scenes azoic, yet emotive. Their works would be beautiful, but not Baroque. Surreal, but not quite Dali. Rather, they would stand somewhere between ideals, between the real and the fantastic.

For those caught unawares, Brain Room is a New Haven three-piece specializing in a kind aural stimulation which leans towards prog more than somewhat. To assuage the fears of those sonic aficionados who simply cannot help but to deride progressive rock as some halfway home for musically inclined arrogant youth of decidedly middle class stock, I shall clarify here there is no Gabriel-esque whimsy to found in Brain Room’s music or persona, no unintelligible themes or absurdist, pretentious lyrics. There are no costumes, no funny hats, and, as far as I know, no walls or poorly illuminated celestial objects. What Brain Room does have, however, are classically trained musicians as adept at writing songs as they are at playing their particular instruments.

On their recently-released EP "Axis II", pianos pound in the low register and dance lithely in the high. A solo cello whines dryly as an old bow is drawn lightly over its strings. A taught snare snaps like a bullwhip while cymbals clatter on like raindrops against a car windshield. Tucked into a few secluded corners you’ll find guitars both electric and acoustic and the occasional synthesizer tapped for its otherworldly tones.

The end result is an odd blend of music which, when taken as a whole, sounds like Rube Goldberg was handed a stack of classical, folk, rock, and rave albums and was then told to make a song. Each piece of the convoluted contraption is conspicuously unique, yet the end result is functional to its intended design.

Take the track “As Far as it Goes”, for example. The song begins with piano and drums providing an energetic if disco-esque rhythm as the cello belts out am emotive lead. By the thirty second mark, the song has changed pace somewhat, to flighty piano pattern and bittersweet vocal lead, only to change again some ten seconds later, this time to a breakdown á la prog-metal titans MUSE.

THE BRAIN ROOM - As far as it goes by CTINDIE

Each of the five cuts are expertly performed and composed, each distinct yet comfortably juxtaposed with the other songs. The result is a sonically consistent recording that, in the spirit of prog and its longstanding tradition of themed albums, favors a full listen, but will also accommodate a cherry-picking of tracks, if such is your proclivity.

Still, the tracks themselves seem a bit short. While Brain Room obviously favors concise composition over drawn-out jams, “Axis II” seems to build up very quickly, and end just as abruptly. Obviously, an unsigned band must survive on a budget, and albums can be costly. Still, the Wagnerian grandeur of the music demands a grand format, and I do think it would nice to see a full twelve to fifteen tracks from Brain Room in the future.

Though a generally competent vocalist, John Cahill does perhaps overexert himself in a few isolated incidences, though more detracting to the overall quality of the EP, however, is the manner in which the vocals are presented. Quiet and drenched with reverb, the vocal tracks, in some places, are obscured by the frenetic instrument tracks. The vocal melodies may still be heard with some clarity, though they do sound "thin" in contrast to the instrumentation, and the vocals themselves are difficult to decipher in some spots.

In the overall scope of the EP, however, these flaws are relatively minor, and shall no doubt be received as par for the course by any serious indie aficionado. I can say with no uncertainty Brain Room is one of the best bands Connecticut has to offer, and I would readily recommend “Axis II” to anyone who dares inquire.

SLOTHPOP as interviewed by Andrew Jackson

Robert Denby here, posting on behalf of Willimantics own Andrew Jackson. He sent a "questionnaire" to SLOTHPOP and the fruits of it are here for you to enjoy!
note: answers are in italic
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Coming up on November 11, 2011 (that’s 11/11/11) the smooth sound waves of Slothpop will be hitting us live from their actual instruments (as altered through their amplifiers). Yes they are traveling all the way to us from Indiana to entertain us at the Oak (Charter Oak Cultural Center in Hartford, CT). We decided to get to know them a bit better. This is not so much an interview as it is a questionnaire. I sent all of these questions to them already typed up, they were kind enough to answer them and send them promptly back.

Hey guys, we really don’t have the budget for a full on interview so I was hoping you could fill out this questionnaire. It’s like an interview but you don’t have to worry about me constantly cutting you off to talk about myself. You may assign a single person or answer all together. You may be brief or you may carry on for pages. It would be good if you identified who was answering. Our goal is to make this the third best performance experience you have ever had. So let us begin shall we?

Real quick, here are all of our names (with instruments), so you know who is answering what:

Kristin Newborn – lead vocals, guitar, keyboard
Drew Malott – bass, vocals
Bryan Unruh – drums
Lauren Eison – violin, vocals
Dan Zender – guitar


For starters, I am sure everyone is wondering about your name. Is your music aimed towards arboreal, lethargic primates or generally lazy ne’er-do-wells doomed to walk the first circle of hell?

Yep.

Interesting. So let’s hear about your new release. Where did you record it? How long in the making?

It was recorded at Queensize Studios in Indianapolis. It took about six months from the start of tracking until mixing and overdubbing was complete. - Drew

It seems everyone has only the nicest things to say about it, assuming you consider “weird” a compliment (which I do and I like it). What is the weirdest song? What is the most beautiful song? Not to be crass but, is it selling?

It depends on your definition of “weird.” If you mean weirdest in tone and meaning, it would be “Leaping Over Books.” If you mean weirdest in structure, it would be “Magenta.” – Bryan “Shuffler,” is the most beautiful because it’s inspired by two humans pollinating. -Kristin

We handle all of our distribution, so it’s selling well in the places we’ve played and where people have discovered us. We’re in a very cool place right now because, when people do discover us, they are discovering it for themselves or through their best friends, so they often end up loving it passionately. It’s neat little secret that they’re excited to be a part of. - Drew

Nor, would I my friend…nor would I. Speaking of which, I thought your little stage diagram was adorable. I use it in my D&D campaign as the goblin king’s lair. As it turns out the defensive positioning is often too much for even a fifth level magic user to handle. Where did you get your tactical training? How often do you have to fend off ragtag adventurers seeking fortune and glory at your shows?

The three vocal mics are +3 to INT and STR. Really, though, we all come from varied musical backgrounds and training. Kristin is a classically trained pianist, I studied music tech at Ball State (Muncie, IN; see next question), and so on. We’ve all been in various ensembles with diverse experience. - Drew

As it happens, I am from Indiana myself. I will give you three guesses as to where the coolest bar in Muncie is.

Lauren, Bryan, and Drew went to Ball State, and we all agree it’s the Heorot. But if you’re asking coolest venue, it’s Be Here Now.

Aw, so close, it is the Heorot. It would have been Savages if they had live music there. Ok, now you tell me what the 3 best places to play in Indy are.

White Rabbit, Radio Radio, and, uhhh…

I can see that, although the Alley Cat does have an indescribable charm.

So did you notice how I started each question segment with a phrase that made it sound like I was responding to what you will answer in the future? Do you think that will fool anyone? Did you even try to tailor your answer to fit the responses?

It fooled us.

How is the Indy scene these days? What are some of the other bands you guys are into right now? You can assume “Indy” to include the entire state of Indiana, even Bloomington, although that might piss off those music school snobs. Not “the region” up in the northwest corner though. Let those jerks claim they are from Chicago, everyone knows they are full of crap…am I right?

You’re definitely right. As for favorite bands, we love America Owns the Moon, the Bonesetters, Everything, Now!, Amo Joy, Crys, Jookabox, and Oreo Jones.

So it looks like that person really jacked up their clavicle. Who is that and what the hell happened to it? Has it affected your music at all?

On one fateful day, I was longboarding, and there happened to be a pothole in my way as I glided gracefully down the street. In my periphery, I did not see, the thing that would steal the step from my feet. It broke in five places, and I had to get surgery. It didn’t really affect the music except I had to sit down for our whole tour in June and July. And I always sit in the front seat in the van. - Dan

Speaking of affecting your music, what about all this neutrino business? If it turns out that this particle is actually capable of traveling at speeds faster than light, it could very well turn the music world on its ear. Do you think your band will be able to adapt to a universe where a particle can travel 500 miles in less than 3ms?
We were breaking the speed of light when the neutrinos were still underground.

Well, we should wrap this up I suppose or else no one is going to want to read it when they see how long it is…man you guys like to ramble huh? One last question, well, more of a task. The Beatles were often categorized into one single adjective per band member (ie Ringo the quiet one, John the cute one, George the fast one, and Paul the kleptomaniac). Assuming your fans are this shallow or you are all that mundane, what is the single descriptor you would assign to each of you? Take your time on this, it will be on your permanent record.
Drew: lazy
Kristin: lazy
Lauren: lazy
Bryan: lazy
Dan: priceless


Well, that is all we have timespace for today. Thank you for your gracious answers and we all very much look forward to seeing you at the Oak.

In case you, the reader, missed it:

Friday, November 11, 2011:

Slothpop
Little Ugly
Rum Glass Serenade

Doors open at 8

We ask 6$ at the door or 5$ and a veggie canned good to be donated to Hartford Food Not Bombs however no one is turned away for lack of funds.

New The Cavemen Go Video

Official music video for The Cavemen Go's single "Someone's Always Trying To Break My Heart." Video done by Max Thomas.

Record Review: Ghost of Chance, A Simple Beast

A Simple Beast is the sophomore effort from Ghost of Chance, hailing from New Haven. GOC creates a minimalistic atmosphere from the start with the song Carthage.The mellow vocals deliver narrative-style lyrics, over electronic drums, acoustic guitar, and dreamy organs (sounds like a Mellotron throughout the record, I could be wrong). The record has a carefully crafted atmospheric layer of instruments with steady reverb. It seems like a lot of care went to producing here. All the guitar effects are tasteful and purposeful. The recording itself sounds great. The arrangement of tracks works, which can make or break a record of this melodic, poppy and experimental style.

GOC really harness a mix of sounds on this record.  Track three, Trident, has a feel of Sparkle Horse, but is followed by Lend Me a Dollar, giving an awesome Yo La Tengo feeling, without sounding derived. Every track is pretty unique. GOC gives the album a punch with the distorted chorus of Pilot. Again, the record surprises with Pipe, giving out an instrumental that is somewhere between the atmosphere of bands like Joan of Arc or Explosions in the Sky.

I can’t wait to see these guys live and see how they deal with the instrumental intricacies. I don’t know if they have any shows planned for the near future, as no shows are listed on their website. Check it out anyway. http://ghostofchance.com/

Ghost of Chance - New Carthage by CTINDIE