YO! Fat Creeps 10″ (VINYL) EP is now available at the following kickass institutions…
Deep Thoughts in Jamaica Plain, MA
http://www.deepthoughtsjp.com/
Weirdo Records in Cambridge, MA
http://www.weirdorecords.com/
Armageddon Records in Cambridge, MA
http://www.armageddonshopboston.com/index_boston.php
And of course you can order one directly from KLYAM Records: http://klyam.bigcartel.com/
PICK UP A RECORD NOW, BEFORE THEY’RE GONE!!!
http://cumstain.bandcamp.com/album/live-the-stork-club-6-25-13
Check out this entertaining live set from one of the best bands around. Cumstain!
Track List:
1) Broke My Dick
2) When I Cum
3) Sit and Twist
4) Smoker
5) SuckHer4U
6) Can’t Take It
7) Slip It Off
8) Mixed Up
9) Rollin’ Wrong
Sean’s got the best one liners here: “This song’s about orgasms, it’s called ‘When I Cum.” Ha, he rivals Ian St. Pe.
Check out this video (shot by Dominique Montgomery) of Fat Creeps performing “700 Parts” at The Bottle Tree in Birmingham, Alabama! They are currently kicking ass on tour right now as can be see in in the video above. Here are the remaining tour dates:
6/26/13 Chicago, IL The Empty Bottle
6/27/13 Ferndale, MI The Loving Touch
6/28/13 Toronto, ON The Drake Hotel
6/29/13 Montreal, QC il motore
7/1/13 Winooski, VT The Monkey House
7/2/13 Boston, MA Great Scott
7/3/13 New Haven, CT BAR 254 Crown St.
7/5/13 New York, NY Mercury Lounge
GO!
And of course don’t forget to pick up a copy of Fat Creeps 10″ EP (VINYL) from KLYAM Records! http://klyam.bigcartel.com/
I was feeling nostalgic about 2009/2010, when I first came across the one and only Box Elders (defunct). So, I started looking for some videos of Omaha’s finest and I came across this one from the wacky folks over at Scion. Give it a look and seriously LISTEN to Box Elders!
And Saturday, June 22: Atlanta, GA @ 529!
YO! KLYAM’s beloved Fat Creeps are heading on tour tomorrow with Bleeding Rainbow and it would be magnificent if everyone and their grandmother came out to the shows. Trust me, if you DON’T go, you WILL regret it. The dates and venues are listed above. Do it!
And don’t forget to order Fat Creeps 10″ EP (Coke Bottle Clear and White Vinyl) from KLYAM Records! http://klyam.bigcartel.com/
https://www.facebook.com/events/121765888020343/
http://fatcreeps.bandcamp.com/
http://bleedingrainbow.bandcamp.com/
Watch it or else!
Bands: The New Highway Hymnal, CreaturoS, Fagettes, Big Mess
Date: Thursday, May 16, 2013
Venue: Middle East Upstairs (Cambridge, MA)
Big Mess – Big Mess are one of my favorite Boston/New England bands and it’s always fun to see them live. It’s been a few months since I’ve had the pleasure and in that time the Lowell based trio has played a shit ton of shows including a gigantic tour with Allston rockers, Kal Marks (https://klyam.com/2013/02/21/big-mess-kal-marks-march-tour/). My friend Justin Cole, who has seen the band more times than I have (which is a lot), claims the band has gotten even better since the tour. I am going to go and agree with Mr. Cole on this account.
As always, Big Mess creates a colossal assault on the ears with massive, noisy guitar hooks and piledriver drums. Indeed, Justin Cole is correct, Big Mess appear to be more diabolical than ever before. Heavy songs like “The Hook” and “Side A” (on their Split w/ S’eance) truly come alive when the band is on stage and at the Middle East they sound better than ever. The latter is a slow, lingering menace that like most Big Mess songs is easy to head bang to, but it’s the song’s quietest moments that are the most menacing. Just listen to the song here: http://bigmessma.bandcamp.com/album/split-w-seance. If you listen at 2:29-2:54 then you’ll know what I mean. It hits you pretty hard on bandcamp, but live is even crazier. I am especially fond of the sound system at Middle East and it is cool to see Big Mess in this setting as opposed to a crowded basement in Lowell, which is my usual preference. Either way, see these guys any way you can and they play a lot! http://bigmessma.bandcamp.com/album/big-mess
Fagettes – Big Mess is a tough act to follow, but Fagettes are sound competitors and as far as I am concerned they take the cake. Also like Big Mess, Fagettes are one of my favorite local bands and just a favorite overall. Much of this admiration stems from the fact that Fagettes play a dirty, loose style of rock ‘n’ roll that we at KLYAM repeatedly gush over, over and over and over again. It fits in the lineage of flabbergasting, modern day garage punk (particularly on the West Coast a la Nobunny, Hunx and His Punx, and Shannon and the Clams).
I’ve seen Fagettes five times now and by far this is the best show. It’s not only the best show, it’s also the sloppiest and when it comes to garage/punk slime/beer guzzlin’, finger poppin’, good times music, whatever you like to call it, I like it sloppy, rough around the edges – as long as the songs are still intact and everyone is having fun. Otherwise, what’s the point? These guys and gal look like they are having a fun, drunken, wild time on stage; Vocalist/guitarist, harmonica guy, Ryan Fagette looks like he can barely stand up at times, yet he still keeps his cool as always. No one else in Boston makes this kind of music like Fagettes! Providence’s Atlantic Thrills and New Hampshire’s Migs are on the same level, but in beantown it’s Fagettes turf. They just get it. They have the sound and style down pat, they have the songs to back it up, and they put on a sweet show.
Speaking of the songs, the usual intoxicant themed favorites are on display: “The AA Took My Baby Away,” “Water, Tea, And Alcohol,” and the pointedly titled “On Drugs,” among other notable gems like “My Girl Looks Like Johnny Thunders,” which is dedicated to Cam Smithers of Nice Guys.
The set closes with an extended (or I am just really fucked and it seems longer than usual), extra rowdy version of “Water, Tea, and Alcohol,” culminating with vocalist/drummer, Melanie Bernier kicking a monitor into my face, sending some tingles down my wee body.
Set List:
“Street Queens”
“The AA Took My Baby Away”
“On Drugs”
“Tsunami”
“Stems”
“My Girl Looks Like Johnny Thunders”
“Gonna Die Out Here”
“Water, Tea, and Alcohol”
http://thefagettes.bandcamp.com/
CreaturoS – Unfortunately, we miss a portion of CreaturoS set, but upon our arrival back into the mighty Middle East, we see CreaturoS up on stage and they are accompanied by the colorful, psychedelic mind fuck that is the Lysergic Factory Light Show, a perfect visual for a freshly lit concertgoer.
During this set, I spot Domenic (SKIMASK, Viva Via) on drums, which is new to me. In my previous two CreaturoS experiences they had a different drummer. Well, he is a solid fit for the band.
CreaturoS are a fine band and they have elements of psych and garage that I can surely get behind. On the other hand, I feel like they drone on for longer than I would have liked. Still, I can recommend their music and I advise you to give it some ear time: http://creaturos.bandcamp.com/
The New Highway Hymnal – Here’s a trio that I never get tired of seeing. If you take a gander at the KLYAM Concert Calendar (Do iT!) you will see that we have attended and adored many a hip shakin’, gut bustin’, saliva drippin’ New Highway set. Though, we have never seen them at the Middle East before, tis a pleasure. The PA is terrific, further accentuating the group’s furious sonic attack.
The Lysergic Factory Light Show can make pretty much any band look cool with all of their swirling, acid trippy visuals, but the light show fits best with The New Highway Hymnal, at least in my experience. Their music is already trippy, so when you toss those fancy lights on them it’s a striking presentation.
Tonight’s performance is riveting per usual, though the crowd is a bit mellower than most audiences at a NHH show. Nonetheless, the place is packed (if not sold out) and kids seem to dig the onslaught of psych grit that NHH has to offer. Most, if not all, of the songs are from last year’s Whispers, a record I cannot recommend enough.
Hey all, it’s band recommendation time and boy do we have a great band for y’all to devour. If you’re into slimy garage punk (you know we are) then Kentucky’s Quailbones is just the right band for you. They remind me of The Oblivians and Thee Oh Sees; fierce, fast, messy songs that will appeal to those that dig raw rock ‘n’ roll.
The Quailbones have just released a new 7″ entitled Lord Dion’s House of Discovery on Ghost Orchard Records. Check it out here: http://quailbones.bandcamp.com/
Bands: The New Highway Hymnal, Empty Phrases, The Lonely Machines, Spooky Future
Date: Friday, May 3, 2013
Venue: The Tip (Lowell, MA)
Spooky Future – Spooky Future is a first for me and I don’t know anything about them. Luckily, by the end of their performance, my interest is piqued. I am not the easiest guy to impress either; I tend to be more of a fan of the straight forward, loose rock ‘n’ roll style and it’s infinite number of imitators. Yet, the sophisticated musicians in Spooky Future don’t bore me at all like most sophistsos do, instead they provide a fairly entertaining set. They are “tight” for lack of a better term. I hate using that description because it sounds like I’m reviewing a bunch of pre-pubescent girls, but the sharp connotations it has does a better job of articulating how the band sounds to me than the wacky characterizations I typically implant in these write ups.
All of Spooky Future’s songs are instrumental and they remind me of another all instrumental band from Lowell: Big Mess. Like Big Mess, they are heavy, sludgey, and have a fierce, take no prisoners attitude. Whatever that means. I also hear a lot of Melvins and Primus in this band. So, if you dig those bands, keep your eyes peeled for Spooky Future.
The Lonely Machines – I’m not as into this group as the first band, but the crowd appears to enjoy them. Their set consists of grundgey, emo fused songs with perhaps a leaning towards metal and/or post-hardcore. They definitely have a lot of passion, especially in the vocals (though at times they are difficult to hear). Not the style of music I dig, but maybe you do, give them a shot: http://thelonelymachines.bandcamp.com/
Empty Phrases – The Empties are back and packing the basements with their dreamy post-punk. Like the last Empty Phrases show I caught, kids are moshing, headbanging, and just having an overall good time. These past couple of shows have had quite the positive feedback, unlike any other I’ve seen at previous Empty Phrases hootenannies. It’s a testament to the hard work and dedication the band has put forth over the years, making themselves a familiar face in the Lowell music scene.
Tonight, I particularly note that Ben Raymond’s vocals sound better than ever, he sure has some sweet pipes. Get a taste of Empty Phrases here: http://emptyphrases1.bandcamp.com/ and then go see them live!
The New Highway Hymnal – Speaking of familiar faces in the Lowell music scene, The New Highway Hymnal are some of the most recognizable and celebrated figures; along with Big Mess they are my favorite Lowell based band. Though, they have expanded far beyond the Lowell community playing a big role in the Boston underground and even touring the nation a few times including two trips to SXSW.
Indeed (yes, I feel this is “indeed” worthy), this trio has dazzled many a doe eyed college student in both the crowded clubs and crowded basements, and tonight is no different. The band plays a solid, psychedelic fueled set and the crowd responds with typical moshing, though it’s a little bit more reserved on this evening. Still, a fun time, hopefully had by all. I know I enjoy this set and with it being my last night in college, I can’t think of a better way to say good bye to Lowell.
Until I return for another kick ass show! In any case, The New Highway Hymnal play a shit ton of shows around Boston and beyond, do yourself a favor and listen to them here: http://thenewhighwayhymnal.bandcamp.com/
Watch the new music video for “Sanity” by Juan Wauters (of The Beets). It pretty much captures a regular Tuesday in my life.
Kids Like You & Me (KLYAM) 