Category Archives: Local Music

Art, Fat History Month, Local Music, Music, pictures, Punk

Fat History Month- “Yeayer”/ Live @ GG’s (3/18/10)

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“SHYB put this sweet tart together. You can watch it on your TV, way bigger than youtube. Live shit, 20 songs in 74 minutes, snakes eating and backwards slomo clothed humps are some highlights. A nice way to while away a grey day.
In memory of Gay Gardens, a house that was a home to us many days in the last 5 years, here’s a kinda shitty set we played there one time way back in the hoary March of 2010. We’ll miss you big buddy. ”
-Fat History Month
1) Instirmentle
2) Ice Storm
3) Nature
4) Dino
5) Things I Enjoy
Listen here: http://fathistorymonth.bandcamp.com/album/yeayer

Also, here’s a link to their radio appearance on WMBR’s pipeline this past Tuesday (11/13/12): http://pipeline.wmbr.org/

Art, Atlantic Thrills, concert review, Local Music, Music, pictures, Punk, reviews

Concert Review: Atlantic Thrills, Ravi Shavi, Nude Beach @ Firehouse (11/10/12)

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Bands: Nude Beach, Atlantic Thrills, Ravi Shavi
Date: Saturday, November 10, 2012
Venue: Firehouse No. 13 (Providence, Rhode Island)
Comments:

Preliminary Activities– When I come home from a hard day’s work, I like to treat myself to three things: Pizza, Beer, and Rock ‘n’ Roll. Add a trip to Providence, RI to see one of my favorites, Atlantic Thrills and it’s like Thanksgiving Dinner came early this year. As we make our way into the city of Providence (which, by the way, I believe this is my first time in this city!) our stomachs are still a rumblin’ and the show doesn’t start for a good hour or so. What to do, what to do. Well,  thank  God (and also thank him for the sinners, since we got our boy Ty Segall’s Twins rollin’ on the radio) Caserta Pizzeria is nearby. Being a connoisseur of pizza myself, I am looking forward to this; I eat pizza 8-10 times a week, I need help. But, at least this is quality pizza, Glen himself heralds it as “New England’s best pizza.”  I’ll be the judge of that Mr. Maganzini. So, we get there, take our seats and when we finally ingest the Caserta Pizza, I concur with my co-conspirator on this matter. Damn, this shit is mouthwatering, and I have a Coors Light to wash it all down. I proclaim this to be a perfect moment, well not entirely perfect. I have satisfied 2/3 of the equation, with the only ingredient missing being my beloved rock ‘n’ roll. Off to Firehouse 13 we go! To give y’all a brief history lesson, this place in fact used to be a real firehouse. In general, I dig the architecture and lay out of this place. It reminds me of some of my favorite venues like the Middle East (downstairs) in Cambridge and the Space Gallery in Portland, Maine.  It’s a fairly large place- long floorboard leading up to an awesome stage. The surrounding walls are covered with unique,  awe inspiring portraits painted by people with mental disorders. And these portraits carry into the restrooms- where one cane see paintings of toilet seats around the walls! I appreciate these features in the Firehouse, gives the venue character that you most likely won’t find elsewhere.  Before the show starts, Glen and I chat it up with our buds in Atlantic Thrills and meet some new friendly folks as well, including the bartender, who is a sweetheart :) .


Act I: Ravi Shavi– Ravi Shavi is hailed as Providence’s finest by one, Kelly Riley. Well sir, that’s the best damn introduction I could ever hear, let’s go for it!  I’d say the Atlantic Thrills (going on next) our Providence’s best, but I don’t know much about the Providence scene. Ravi definitely is a notable act though, and shares a similar aesthetic to the Thrills, and that is an allegiance to pure rock ‘n’ roll fun. Ravi frontman Rafay Rashid is a natural showman/entertainer/performer, call it what you want, he’s got it, and I get the feeling he’s had it for a while, perhaps even on the playground. He has this King Khan quality to him, except he’s all dressed up in a nice suit. It’s like Khan if it was the 1950s, highly sexualized music just squeezing to get outta those suits and spread some love, some evil, and most definitely some rock ‘n’ roll into some fresh, innocent teen blood. I hear a lot of Talking Heads, Clash, and Gentlemen Jesse and His Men. Hard hitting, catchy as fuck, power pop. Well done boys. http://ravishavi.bandcamp.com/


Act II: Atlantic Thrills!– Da Thrillz! It’s been way too long since I’ve seen these gentlemen, April, Fuck! I’m so pumped for the show, it’s glorious when these four dudes arrive on stage. Even more glorious than the pizza I devoured earlier. I see lots of “garage” bands, but the Thrillz seem to just get it  more than anyone else around this area. It’s always a blast with the Thrillz.  They establish a party atmosphere and simply go nuts without the help of the crowd. Though, there was some fine dancing on display as well. Thrillz just don’t give a fuck, they are going to rock out and have fun no matter what.  Of course, they bust out key songs such as “Acid Rain” and “Shotgun,” among other classics. This could be the finest Thrillz set I have experienced, full of all the ass kicking guitar riffs and maniacal howls one could ask for. Just plain fun above all. Spittin’ beer and hurlin’ Naragansett cans. The best thing about these guys is that they’re essentially just like you and me; there’s no divide between fan and musician- fuck all that uptight, pretentious bullshit that often comes with musicians.   The Thrillz are in their 30s, but they have more piss and vinegar in em’ than all the teens and twenty something rockers alike. One might think at first that they’re a typical, shitty bar band that plays to the same, boring, older crowd. Don’t be mistaken, it’s quite the opposite. I can’t think of another local act with as much party/fun loving spirit in em’ as the Thrillz. When we say punk slime on this site, they exemplify that. I can’t wait to see the Atlantic Thrills kill it in a packed basement in Lowell, Allston (or anywhere) filled with kids ready to let loose and go wild. Now, that would be a stellar way to close this review, but I can’t forget to note  the ending of the band’s performance. Just as it looks like the band is about to the depart, they kick into my favorite Thrillz song, the passionate ballad, “Foreign Lands,” which features guitarist Kelly Riley screaming his heart out on lead vocals. They then transition into their now famous cover of Los Saicos’ wild teen punk classic “Demolicion,” cementing their status as one of KLYAM’s top live bands.

If you dig Atlantic Thrills and Ravi Shavi (and you should), then get yer ass to this show on 11/29 @ the Parlour (Providence, RI) with Yankee Bang Bang and DJ Studs Jerkel. FB Event here: http://www.facebook.com/events/166856466792633/

And don’t forget to check out the Atlantic Thrills’ music here: http://www.reverbnation.com/atlanticthrills

Set List


Act III: Nude Beach–  Brooklyn’s Nude Beach headline this amazing show, and they rock pretty damn hard, fitting very well with the first two acts. They are a bit overdressed tonight, what with clothes on and everything. Then again, this isn’t a beach. They close their sweet set with a cover of Foo Fighters’ early hit “Big Me,” one of my favorite FF songs, and Nude Beach does justice to the original.  Before tonight, I had never heard of these dudes, but after this performance I will definitely make sure I keep an eye out for them.  Send em’ some love: http://nudebeach.bandcamp.com/

Art, Local Music, Yankee Power

Listen: NEW Yankee Power- “State Of Mind”

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Remember those dudes I was raving about a couple of weeks back? Well, here’s a new song from dem. Listen to it here: http://theyankeepower.bandcamp.com/album/besides
and why not set you up real nice with a link to their epic LP Zoo Traffic http://theyankeepower.bandcamp.com/album/zoo-traffic-2
Alright, now you’re all set up. All you have to do now is listen, the hard part is done. What else do you want? You want me to wipe your ass for you? Fine…

Art, Big Mess, concert review, Local Music, Music, Punk, reviews

Review: Big Mess, Pissbath, Slurred Speech, Haldol, Regret, the Informer, Districts @ Wilder Zangcraft (11/9/12)

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Bands: Big Mess, Pissbath, Slurred Speech, Haldol, Regret, the Informer/Districts (12 inch release)
Date: Friday, November 9, 2012
Venue: Wilder Zangcraft (Lowell, MA)
Comments:
Act I: Big Mess- I’ve never been huge on strictly instrumental music, but in the past year, my ears have had the pleasure of being jostled by Boston behemoths, Big Mess. As I’ve said before, this here is a band you need to experience live. Sometimes I fall in love with a band’s studio (or bedroom) work,  but when I see them in person, the songs don’t translate as well. This isn’t the case with Big Mess; quite the opposite. Live, they are a sonic beast, a total wall of headbanging inducing noise. Much of their music is heavy, but there’s also a quiet, intimate quality to the band that can be best appreciated at a nice, little basement spot like Wilder Zangcraft. I can honestly say tonight’s show is one of the best I’ve seen, with the band sounding as fierce and intense as ever. In particular, I want to note the drumming of Nick Egersheim, which is one of the first things that struck me about the band. There’s an undeniable frenetic character to his style; he smacks the drums so hard, it’s as if his sticks are his fists and the drums are a body, like a fistfight and each smack is another punch. I don’t know why I always conjure up violent images when I listen to Big Mess, I guess I am just a sick guy. In any case, they’re a badass band and I heavily recommend them to all of y’all. http://bigmessma.bandcamp.com/album/big-mess

Act II: Pissbath– I love this name, especially coming after Big Mess. Well, I can imagine the pissbath would come first and then it would be a big mess, for sure. But, not tonight. This Nashville quartet plays fast, hardore punk inspired jams. In the traditions of  old school hardcore, this group blasts through each cut in a matter of seconds, keeping it short, but sweet. You can listen to their demo tape here: http://funkyfrankenstein.bandcamp.com/album/pissbath-demo-tape

Act III: Haldol– Unfortunately, we missed these fellow Nashville punkers, but you can check out their bandcamp here: http://haldol.bandcamp.com/releases

Act IV: Slurred Speech– Slurred Speech is one man powerhouse Josh Tracy. Tracy’s music  consists of one man, one guitar, and a fine set of pipes. He sings with a lot of emotion and is able to get a crowded, sweaty basement full of drunken students to sing along with him. Slurred Speech may not be my cup of tea, but I genuinely enjoy the intimate, interactive charm of Tracy’s performance/music and overall sense of humor. I especially love when he mentions feeling badass about listening to System Of A Down and how everyone else most likely had the same reaction as a youngster. Well, I felt badass listening to System Of A Down, I still do. Check out Josh’s jams here: http://slurredspeech.bandcamp.com/

Act V: Regret, The Informer– Regret, The Informer has embarked on tour all the way from Missouri and tonight they are here alongside Districts (the band up next) in honor of the release of their split 12″.  Regret shares the same hardcore sound as some of the other bands on the bill tonight, but they seem to  permeate a slower, more melodic sound. If you want hear Regret, The Informer, click here: http://regrettheinformer.bandcamp.com/

Act V: Districts– Lowell’s own, Districts close this fun filled evening of diverse local and national music. Districts play energetic screamo/hardcore and it looks like they have some dedicated fans in attendance singing along to their impassioned vocals. It seems like Districts have made a name for themselves around town and beyond, catch em’ if you can or start by listening to them here: http://districts.bandcamp.com/

Fat Creeps, Music, Video

Watch Fat Creeps Perform Tonight (Live Video)

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KLYAM favorites Fat Creeps will be performing at Redstar Union tonight on the occasion of the Boston Music Awards Artist of the Year nomination. Michael Marotta of the Boston Phoenix is the Boston music authority who will be praising the Creeps.

Also performing will be Bearstronaut and Mellow Bravo. This starts at 8 PM.

Click here to watch along: http://www.redstarunion.com/red_star_events/boston-music-awards-mavens-choice/

Best of luck to Fat Creeps!

Art, Big Mess, Local Music, Music, Punk

Listen to Big Mess – “New Wave” Live @ Barre Fest

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http://soundcloud.com/bricolagemusic-1/big-mess-live
Some cool Big Mess tunes live from Barre Fest this past August.  If you don’t know Big Mess, I urge you to listen and not just ignore it because you don’t know them. Who knows, you could discover one of your favorite bands, definitely one of my favorites. Sludgy, heavy, bluesy, catchy, it’s all there.

Art, concert review, Fat Creeps, Honorary KLAYMERS, Local Music, Music, pictures, Punk, reviews

Concert Review: Fat Creeps & Creaturos @ Great Scott (11/4/12)

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I love this flier, for the record, which I’m sure is a surprise to no one.

Bands: Creaturos, Fat Creeps, Grass Widow
Date: Sunday, November 4, 2012
Venue: Great Scott (Allston, MA)
Comments:
Act I: Creaturos– It’s been a while since my last time at the Great Scott, roughly five months to be exact. It feels good to be back and to be seeing some kickass bands to boot. Creaturos are a nasty garage trio I saw about a month ago at the Big Stink. They were the fourth (out of five) bands to play and at that point in the evening I was heavily intoxicated and I don’t remember much of their performance, though I do remember it being fun and everyone was bopping and bashing into each other, good times. Tonight, there isn’t so much of that, but on the bright side I gain a good sense of what Creaturos are all about. They are some loud motherfuckers and they serve their brand of catchy, psych drenched  rock ‘n’ roll with fast, heart pounding intensity, guaranteed to wake up the neighbors. Here’s their bandcamp page: http://creaturos.bandcamp.com/ Knock yourself out.

Set List:
Face
Summer
UFO
James Day
Charity
Bead
Go Out
Get Low
Corners

L-R: Gracie Jackson and Mariam Saleh of Fat Creeps


Act II: Fat Creeps– It’s funny to think  that it was only seven months ago when I first discovered this band.  Discovered haha, makes me sound like I am fucking Christopher Columbus, I could be. Over the course of the past seven months I have seen the Fat Creeps ten (10) times! That’s right, ten. A personal record that no other artist can touch. So, what is it that keeps me consistently fascinated, you may ask (or not give a flying rat’s ass, I don’t care,  either way I’m going to tell you). What I find appealing in the Creeps is what I admire and desire in all bands I/we excessively promote on KLYAM, put simply: strong songs and personality. Maybe it’s just me, but only a handful of music makers can fully satisfy these two standards of mine. Each Creeps song is unique and instantaneous; you can pick them out of the batch immediately. Their memorable quality can be attributed to the strength of the hooks, which are present in pretty much all of their songs. So, I get giddy when I hear those first few gorgeous guitar riffs to tonight’s surfy set opener “Fooled,” one of the trio’s catchiest tunes.  They go on to perform some of  my other favorite hits and also include two new songs that seem pretty rad, one of which is an instrumental that closes the set. Before the closer, however, they play my favorite Creeps song, “700 Parts.” I always thought it was a dark song, and even after listening to the thing a million times and seeing it performed on numerous occasions, I still get shivers from Gracie’s powerful vocals. It’s just another reminder of how badly more people across America and beyond need to hear this band.

You can start here http://fatcreeps.bandcamp.com/

Jim Leonard of Fat Creeps


Set List:
Fooled
Secrets
Horoscope
Dadweed
Daydreaming
Go to the Party (*WORKING TITLE*)
Nancy Drew
700 Parts
Back to School (*WORKING TITLE*)

Act III: Grass Widow– Unfortunately, we missed these San Franciscans (is that the correct nomenclature?) :( next time!

Art, Band of the Week, Local Music, Music, pictures, Punk, SKIMASK, Video

Band of the Week: SKIMASK!

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This week’s Band of the Week is the ass kicking, mind bending, spellbounding, stupdendous SKIMASK, one of Boston’s greatest stars and noisemakers, no fakers. If you scroll down the KLYAM page, you can catch an interview we just conducted with thee SKIMASK drummer (Z). Okay fine, here’s a link, you lazy bastards. https://klyam.com/2012/11/04/check-out-this-sheeet-klyam-interviews-skimask/
SKIMASK’s forthcoming LP Cute Mutuant will be released on November 27, 2012 on Infinity Cat Recordings, Sophomore Lounge Records, and 100% Breakfast. Goddamn, that’s a delicious dish!

Art, CD Review, Local Music, Music, music video, pictures, Punk, reviews, Video, Yankee Power

LP Review: “Zoo Traffic” (Yankee Power)

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Artist: Yankee Power
Release Date: August 21, 2012
Track list :
1) Adopted Love Doll
2) Swing
3) Wrong Kind
4) Given Into Contrary
5) Dr. Daisy
6) Fuzz Minisery
7) Because It’s Hard
8) Stray
9) Real Folk
10) Modern Change
11) Shiver Of Sharks
12) Dear Old Friend
13) Two Quarters
14) Open Breast

Comments: I met half of Yankee Power in the year Two Thousand and Six. Mr. Tom Calvert (guitar/vocals) and Mr. CJ Kanouff (drums) were WHSTV production icons, legends. So, when I heard that these dudes were unleashing some jams, I had to see what all the fuss was about. Now, we are in the year Two Thousand and Twelve, and just recently I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Jeff Gallagher (guitar/vocals), who is nothing but a straight shooter, a real charming man. I have yet to meet Mr. Mark Fallon (Bass/Vocals), but I am confident he is an upstanding gentlemen.
Okay now, I listen to a lot of music, way too much music. In fact, as I am writing this, my ears are splitting because I have been blasting tunes on my ipod and from my computer all day. I can’t live without it, and with this I have come to accept that I will be deaf before I’m fifty (hopefully, hopefully not thirty), but I’m optimistic that by that time technology will bring all sorts of fun gadgets to keep my musical intake flowin’. Working on this site, I certainly come across TONS of bands, but few are as diverse as Yankee Power. That’s not a stock line, that’s the truth.  Zoo Traffic is a colorful album filled with all sorts of styles, it constantly switches up its sound, yet maintains an overall distinct character, unique to Yankee Power.

The opener, “Adopted Love Doll,” (which is accompanied by a hilarious video that can be seen below) is a savage, powerhouse, quasi-heavy metal pop song that brings to mind everyone from Andrew W.K. to Alice In Chains (especially in some of the vocals) to many of the garage/party rock bands we champion on this site. Point being, ‘Love Doll’ is a fast rocker, guaranteed to get you headbanging and fist pumping or else you’ve sniffed too much glue and should perhaps stay at home next Saturday night. Definitely a contender for my new alarm clock; the song just has that let’s get up and go! motivational quality to it. I also can’t forget to mention the outstanding drum work of CJ Kanouff – simple, but the song’s driving force for sure.

The next number, “Swing,” is a dramatic change of pace in which the band slows things down a bit.  On “Swing,” we hear a much more folk/country oriented sound for the band, which appears frequently throughout this album. I truly appreciate the vocals of Jeff Gallagher, the dude has an amazing voice, but what I really dig is his range. Just like the band’s overall sound, Jeff’s vocals are never quite the same – track by track. He is able to scream and shout, like on the album opener, and yet on other songs, such as “Dear Old Friend,” his voice is soothing and soft, drawing comparisons to John Lennon and Paul Simon, at least to me.

But, Jeff isn’t the only top notch singer here. Often fellow guitarist Tom Calvert delivers some fantastic vocals as well. My favorite song with Tom’s lead vocals is the country fueled ballad, “Real Folk,” which I find equally humorous and sincere, and I mean that in the best possible way. It reminds me of Ween in this manner, which is awesome because Ween is incredible. Two great moments on Zoo Traffic include dual vocals from Jeff and Tom on “Wrong Kind” and “Stray.” In a sane world, the latter would be a top 40 hit. But, that’s whatever… music charts are silly and irrelevant. “Stray” is a beautiful pop song and one of the catchiest I’ve heard all year. Just further evidence of how powerful these songs really are. I must have listened to “Stray” at least forty or fifty times by now, maybe more (time I could have spent selecting the president and other political scum, completing homework assignments, wacking off [well, moreso anyway], among other wholesome activities.) But, NO! this song just hooked me in and won’t let me go.

Another cut that runs deep, so deep, so deep, puts her ass to sleep, is “Because It’s Hard,” sung by bassist Mark Fallon.  This ditty is a total stand out and is the unofficial Amish Anthem. Whenever I hear this, folksy, Celtic  Poguesian tune, I picture images of Amish men and women, and children smiling, laughing, working, and reflecting the light they have come to know. This year, I am blasting this song on repeat during Thanksgiving Dinner, just for the Amish. Amish Rock. Amish Core 2015, get on that bro.

I can’t recommend Yankee Power’s Zoo Traffic enough; I have had a real pleasure excessively listening to and reviewing this puppy. I can truly say this album opened up my tastebuds, which is a rare feat as some miscreants have noted in the past. This LP is definitely a twenty twelve gem and continues the trend I’ve noticed with other twenty twelve favorites of mine (Fat Creeps, The Barbaras, etc.) which is basically creating such strong songs that when you listen to the music it feels more like a greatest hits compilation than simply one album. My next mission in life is to see all the Yankee Power hits on the live stage! To quote the Sneaky Pinks, I can’t wait.

Check out their music here! http://theyankeepower.bandcamp.com/