KSpill's Couch EP 1 -- FINS

Welcome Kspill's Couch, a new feature on CTIndie where awesome bands are interviewed and play for you! Enjoy!

"FINS was chosen to be first band to be featured on "Kspills Couch". So naturally we hung out and drank beers. Keep an eye out for more episodes with more cool bands."

The Gentle Stunts' Cal McNamara dishes on new music and The Kensington Cradle

Cal McNamara is The Gentle Stunts. Last year he busted out on the scene with "Life-Size Deadbeats" and dropped a whole bunch of jaws across the state. Then he rocked a band together and played a whole bunch of awesome shows in CT. Now he is gearing up for even more action and also hosts some smaller shows in his place, The Kensington Cradle. I got a chance to ask Cal what's up, take a look below:

Body Language / Fake Babies @ BAR 7/31

Fake Babies are playing BAR on Wednesday with Body Language. I hear tell that Fake Babies will be releasing their highly anticipated 2nd at this show!!! This is a MUST SEE SHOW

Want to play with some great CT musicians?

Yes the entire Ideat Village Festival (which has been a New Haven festival for artists, musicians, and anything underground and oddball for the past 13 years) is not happening in 2013 but one of their greatest events will be! The Rock Lottery!

Gaining Tremendous Traction: An Interview with Kyle McEvoy of The Guru and Seagreen Records

It has been a crazy summer for The Guru. They went on a national tour in June and made it out to California and back. They have since that time played a billion CT shows and it's still only late July. I had a chance to get some A's to my Q's and take some of Kyle McEvoy's SCARCE time recently. Here's what he had to say:

Uncle Sonny - Dominican Cousin Video

Uncle Sonny put their song "Cousin" on our q-90 Summer Mix. They have since made a video for that song, which is now named "Dominican Cousin". Take a peek below!

Jacques Le Coque / Ravi Shavi / Nuncunt / Folk Y'all @ Stella Blues 7-26

Face kicking punk rockers Jacques Le Coque have a deceivingly sepia flyer for their show this Friday at Stella Blues. This is going to be a barn burner for sure so get geared up and head down to Stella Blues on Friday night!

Worship The 'Witch as they open for the Ghost at the Webster

photo by Magdalena Wolinski 

In today's social media saturated world, many bands think that just sitting on their asses and collecting "likes" on Facebook equals popularity, instead of going out there and winning fans the old fashioned way by touring. Luckily, there are some bands that still go out there and lay it all on the line to win over people night by night, venue by venue. Ohio-heshers Skeletonwitch are one such band.

They go out and win fans the tried and true way, by touring their asses off. They always seem to be on the road, and they'll play anywhere with anyone, whether it be on a big stage at Ozzfest, or at less glamorous places like our beloved Cherry Street Station in Wallingford. Their modus operandi might seem like a grind to some people, but for the band, they thrive in these situations. "We always say that the worst day on the road is better than a good day at work," said guitarist Scott Hedrick. "We are out there doing what we love to do, so if you look at it that way, it isn't so bad."

Still, it must take a little toll on the band, which also features lead singer Chance Garnette, his brother guitarist Nate Garnette, bassist Evan Linger and drummer Dustin Boltjes, to deliver such a high energy set each night. Once again, Hedrick, says they have found ways to deal with the stresses and weariness that can happen when on the road. Hedrick said that they do little things to keep themselves fresh. They might not party as much on some nights, and they watch the type of food that they eat, also. For them, it's knowing how to find a balance between the fun and the rational that keeps them going.

Speaking of fresh, the band recently just finished recording their new album, named "Serpents Unleashed", with Converge guitarist, and go-to-heavy-metal producer, Kurt Ballou at his Godcity studio in Salem, Massachusetts. This is the band's first time working with Ballou, even though they have tried to record with him in the past, but schedules couldn't be worked out, and they are very happy with the results. In fact, they were psyched to finally record with him, citing his work with such bands as Torche, High On Fire and Disfear, as one of the major reasons to get him to produce one of their records. "We wanted someone to capture our live energy. See I get it when people say we are known as a great live band and that's a double edged sword when it comes to recording. The cool thing about Kurt was that he was able to bottle lightning," said Hedrick.

Hedrick also said to expect a lot more of those old school guitar harmonies and melodies that are reminiscent of their "Beyond The Permafrost" record. You see he had more of a role in writing this one. Usually, Nate writes a majority of the songs, and Hedrick explains that Nate likes to sprinkle a little sugar with the heavy riffs, while he likes to dump a whole bucket of it on top of the music. "It's like he's the chef, and I'm the sous-chef," said Hedrick.

The new record is slated to be released by Prosthetic in October, but before that, the band has a short run of dates as the handpicked direct support for Ghost B.C., as that mysterious group of occultists does a string of dates on its way to playing Lollapalooza. Hedrick said they were pleasantly surprised by this development. "We were asked to do it by the band. We were on the road in Canada and I received a call asking us if we wanted to open for them. I spent a lot of money calling the United States to confirm this. I needed to know if our label had anything to do with this, but in fact, they were the last to know," said Hedrick. "So, of course, we said yes". So, if you're heading to the Webster next Saturday, be sure to get there early in order to catch them doing what they do best, which is tearing up the stage, and having a ball while they do it.

You see, they live for these moments. They are very happy with what they do. "We like to tour. We see how this band which was started by five assholes in Ohio and how it has grown through our hard work into something cool. It's quite a trip," said Hedrick.  

Ghost B.C.SkeletonwitchSaturday, July 27 2013The Webster Theater31 Webster StreetHartford, CT 061147:00 pm - All Ages - $20

Bowen Arrow : A band to keep on your radar.

Shaun Bowen has done it again. First he had it with grunge punks Murdervan before flying solo after Murdervan took a hiatus a year or so ago. Now he is back in another powerful three piece band known as Bowen Arrow.

Sallie Ford & the Sound Outside + Daphne Lee Martin @ The Oasis Pub 7/19

I AM Fest is bringing awesome shows to CT all summer! This Friday brings Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside, and New London favorite Daphne Lee Martin!

GRASSHOPPER / ARABIAN BLADE @ ELM BAR on July 24

Sick experimental noise/jazz show at Elm Bar on July 24, featuring Grasshopper, Arabian Blade and many more. Get down with some brain melting noise!!!

A Paper Tugboat - Don't Race The Sun video

A Paper Tugboat have a new video for their song "Dont Race The Sun". Take a look below!!!

The Sadness of the Human Head - An interview with DG IX of The Field Recordings

We caught up with one of our favorite people, DG IX from The Field Recordings, to discuss what is happening in his life and art as of late. He had a lot to say, as so much is going on. Much music and even a film is in the works. Take a gander after the break.

Flaming Lips & Spiritualized @ Oakdale Theatre on 7/15

So The Flaming Lips and Spiritualized will be playing at the Oakdale Theatre in Wallingford. This is a weird one and will be their only east coast performance for this tour they are on.

Get down with the Blues Explosion on July 17 at the Spaceland Ballroom

Most times when a band takes a short hiatus to focus on other activities and then returns the results usually aren't pretty, but in the case of the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, their return to the stage in 2008, after a three year lay off, and subsequent return to record after an almost 8 year gap, signaled the continuation of the work they began in the 1990's and continued up until the start of the new millennium.

Ab Origine - The CTINDIE Radio Spot (July 2013 Edition)

Bob D'Aprile from CTROCK on WPKN Bridgeport and CTIndie.com have teamed up to produce and syndicate an ongoing monthly radio spot promoting as many CT shows and artists as we can. The spot series, called Ab Origine (from the source, in latin) premiered June 28th 2012 on WPKN.

Hear the latest edition of Ab Origine below:

BRAMBLE JAM 3 @ THE HEIRLOOM ARTS THEATRE JULY 12-14

The fine folks who put on 2 amazing Bramble Jams are gearing up for round 3 this weekend! A pre-show on Thursday @ Whitney House in Hartfiord, and then the rest of the festival days (Fri-Sun) at The Heirloom Arts Theatre in Danbury! A super TON of CT bands are on this bill so get ready for some action!

I Was a Skim Milk Kid - Teen heartthrobs don't listen to lofi

Welcome to the fuzzy, lo-fi indie sound of I Was a Skim Milk Kid, the heart-rending tune you thought up once in a dream but forgot immediately as you woke up, left with nothing but a new hole in your heart. Yeah, we found it, in Connecticut no less, and its here with five minutes and forty-eight seconds of the memory you lost in the dissonant void where all of your best dreamland discoveries go, the elusive bastards. I know, you want to thank us, but that can wait. First, your memories.

ovlov - am

Well-loved Ovlov of Newtown, Conn. deliver fully on the strong promise of their first EP's with their debut album am. 10 tracks of blown out, fuzzy haze dominate this solid LP. Clearly it will be ruining speakers everywhere for years to come.

Lys Guillorn & Mercy Choir - Trouble EP

This review of Trouble, by Lys Guillorn and Mercy Choir, was submitted by guest columnist Maxx Hillery. Enjoy his review below:
Firstly, I'd like to say that the importance of album art is vastly underestimated in the world of music and I am always ecstatic to see someone who gets it right. Not only is the art on this EP, Trouble, elegant and simple, but its appearance makes reference to and comments on the style of music and the lyrical subject of the songs, and it is designed by one of the artists herself (Lys Guillorn).