Category Archives: Music

Art, Big Mess, concert review, Fat History Month, Local Music, Music, pictures, Punk, reviews

Review: Fat History Month, Big Mess, Masingo @ UML Fox Common (9/13/12)

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Photo not from tonight’s show, taken from http://www.radioutd.com/2012/02/05/reviewinterview-fat-history-month/

Artists: Fat History Month, Big Mess, Masingo
Date: Thursday, September 13, 2012
Venue: UMass Lowell Fox Common (Lowell, MA)
Comments:
Act I: Big Mess–  Two months is way too long. It has been two long months since I have seen the mighty Big Mess. Their music has always struck me as the perfect soundtrack for  *insert your favorite action here* “Fucking!” Okay sir, fucking sounds good, we’ll go with that. So, it’s no surprise to me that guitarist, Nicholas Wiedeman introduces their perennial set opener, “The Hook,” as a song about making love. Indeed, it is a passionate tune that consistently energizes my spirit at each Big Mess show. The next song “Side A,” from last year’s split with S’eance is equally if not more effective, but perhaps not a number to do the wild thing to, well maybe if your more of the aggressive type, which hopefully you are. This song and the track “Drone Bee” demonstrate the band’s ability to produce powerful, headbanging guitar riffs and sledgehammer drums. In a live setting, truly the best way you can experience this trio, these songs are richer and naturally heavier. In general, Big Mess’s music has always made me conjure up images of classic horror movie madmen such as one, Jack Torrence.The whole set consists of classics and most of the crowd tonight appear to be fans that have experienced Big Mess time and time again; you can see in their eyes a deep admiration for their peers. I share this sense of admiration for the band and hope to see them again sometime soon. http://bigmessma.bandcamp.com/album/big-mess

Act II: Fat History Month– The show begins with Seanhistorymonth standing amongst the kids at The Fox Common, strumming his guitar and with his co-conspirator Markhistorymonth on drums, the duo sink into their weird, little world, taking all the kids aboard. Much like Big Mess, Fat History is a sound band in the studio,  but are perhaps better appreciated in a live setting. On stage,  you truly get to witness the unbeatable chemistry between Sean and Mark that you cannot experience simply from listening to one of their records. As always, the pair dish out some of my favorites, including, but certainly not limited to “Free As A Cat,”  “Old Lady Smokers,  and the Bad History demo “Everyday Is Christmas.” At one point, Sean expresses an appreciation for the decent turn out of bodies in attendance, much greater than he expected. This is no surprise to me however, in fact I would hope more kids got turned on to their music. But, those that show up are immersed in their peformance and when it comes time for requests, someone shouts NATURE! I find this to be hilarious because this is at least the third or fourth time now that I have heard “Nature” requested at a Fat History show. It is a terrific song, so why not?! What is great about this performance is the fact that they follow up “Nature” with the epic track “You Can Pick Your Nose, You Can Pick Your Friend’s Nose, But You Can’t Escape Your Horrible Family.” Up until this point I don’t believe I have ever heard this song live, so that is a definite plus. Not to mention that these two songs are next  to each other on their LP Fucking Despair (pick that thang up btw), thus giving this set a further feeling of completion. I am so glad we have a band like Fat History Month in Boston; it is always a pleasure to see them live and they play a shit TON of shows in this area and beyond, so get yer ass out to any or all of them! Man, I wish I had heard all of this great music when I was a little kid, instead of reading about Fidel Castro, watching old porn movies from the 70s, and getting placed in figure-four locks. Sure, Fat History Month is probably a little bit too bizarre for most children, but in this crazy world we live in they are going to get exposed to some fucked up shit anyway, might as well make sure it’s constructive, beautiful, fucked up shit. Why fill their little heads with hope now? Why not give them a tip before the weight of the the world wipes away all their precious dreams? Jeeze Chris, way to kill the party. Ahh, I’m only teasing, as they say everyday is Christmas, or at least everyday feels like Christmas when you have great bands like Fat History Month around you. Cheers. http://fathistorymonth.bandcamp.com/album/fucking-despair

Act III: Masingo– Masingo, damn Masingo I knew I had seen you before (on a bill with SARALEE @ the Ant Cellar last May), but for the life of me I could not remember them. My bad. Then when Masingo hits the stage, I have some flashbacks, still cannot recall too much, but now I remember these young lads. In particular the vocalist/guitarist has a great attitude and I do remember this quality from before. He is interactive with the audience, inquiring about college and informing the students about endorphins and other matters. He hops around quite a bit, shaking his shaggy hair in the process.  The other two members are equally skilled and their fast, punk delivery is admirable. I am not quite sure if it is my cup of tea, but they are entertaining. My favorite moment is when the vocalist/guitarist flies off the stage, with his guitar in his arms, and falls flat on his back, only to hop right back on stage as if nothing had happened. Check out their bandcamp page: http://masingo.bandcamp.com/

Art, Honorary KLAYMERS, Music, pictures, Punk, Tours

MARK SULTAN NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES/STARLAB (12/8/12)

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Photo from http://www.villavillanola.com/suoni/june-15-mark-sultan-sala-rossa/

OCTOBER
26th – Providence, RI – Dusk
27th – Manhattan, NYC – Cavestomp Boat Show
30th – Chapel Hill, NC – The Garage
31st – Asheville, NC – The Get Down
NOVEMBER
1st – Atlanta, GA – Star Bar
3rd – New Orleans, LA – Circle Bar
5th – Austin, TX – Beerland
8th – Las Vegas, NV – Beauty Bar
9th – Desert Hot Springs, CA – Dillon’s Roadhouse
10th – Los Angeles, CA – Blue Star
12th – Monterey, CA – Golden State Theatre
13th – San Francisco, CA – The Knockout
15th – Portland, OR – TBC
16th – Seattle, WA – Rendezvous
17th – Vancouver, BC – Astoria
19th – Calgary, AB – The Commonwealth
20th – Edmonton, AB – TBC
22nd – Winnipeg, MN – Windsor Hotel
23rd – Fargo, ND – The Aquarium
24th – St Paul, MN – Turf Club
26th – Chicago, IL – Empty Bottle
28th – Omaha, NE – The Slowdown
29th – Kansas City, MO – Davey’s Uptown
30th – St Louis, MO – Off Broadway
DECEMBER
1st – Bloomington, IN – Russian Recording
3rd – Fort Wayne, IN – Brass Rail
6th – TBC
7th – Brooklyn, NY – Union Pool
8th – Boston, MA – Starlab

EP Review, Kal Marks, Local Music

EP Review: Kal Marks – “Piss of the Century”

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Band: Kal Marks
Release: 2012

1. “Out in the Deep”
2. “My Guitar”
3. “Born Again”
4. “Piss of the Century”
5. “Fake Tits”
6. “The Chain”

Comments: The first two songs on this record are no less than incredible. Interesting way to start a review, huh? All the chips fall into place quite easily. It’s like they’ve got control of that Pixies loud-quiet-loud thing, but only if the lead singer of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah was born in Alabama. On “Born Again,” there’s a pulsating rhythm and some Fat History Month esque guitar picking. The sparsity of this song (no drums) makes me feel like I’m out in the woods or something. It’s comforting. “Piss of the Century” returns to the form of the first two, but with a big kick in the nuts. I like the contrast between this and the prior. The production of “Piss” stands out too, turn those amps up and mic those drums real well – check! The references to previously mentioned bands seem to come from individual parts of Kal Marks, not really the whole. I could toss some more out like The Loon era Tapes ‘n Tapes, but God only knows the familiarity they might have with them. “Maybe if I didn’t know my body/well maybe I know my self-worth” did I hear that right on “Fake Tits”? Haha, this is a funny one, at least to me. It is well-done and I knew it’d be interesting to give a lil attention to the words. The closer is a cool cumulative visitation to prior sounds previously given the light of day, but with some added features that collide perfectly toward the ending of the song, which kicks ya in the privates (for the second time). There’s some feedback/effects that blindsided me (in the good way) – anything’s possible with Kal Marks, right? I’ll stand by “Out in the Deep” as my favorite on here, because 1) it captivates me 2) it sounds terrific and somewhat familiar 3) the ending, man. It’d be unreasonable not to ask you to spend some quality time with this record. If you’re from the Boston area, it seems, too, that it would be a great tragedy to miss out on what these dudes are doing.

Art, Honorary KLAYMERS, Jay Reatard, Magic Kids, Music, Punk, The Barbaras, Video

Flashback: The Barbaras/Magic Kids- “Good Vibrations” (2007)

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This is fucking awesome! In this video you can start to see the transition from The Barbaras to the Magic Kids. Love both bands.
You Tube description: “I asked the Barbaras to play a show with the Demon’s Claws that I booked in November 2007 at Murphy’s in Memphis….they said yes without realizing that Billy and Stephen would be on tour with Jay Reatard…..they played as a 3 piece and did only Beach Boys covers….here’s their version of Good Vibrations!”- April Novak.
And why not give ya a clip of these dudes performing “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” on the same night? Why not?! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFDvIEs3n2A&feature=relmfu

Art, Colleen Green, concert review, Local Music, Music, pictures, Punk, reviews

Concert Review: Colleen Green, Plateaus, Empty Phrases @ unchARTed (9/10/12)

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Artists: Colleen Green, Plateaus, Empty Phrases
Date: Monday, September 10, 2012
Venue: unchARTed (Lowell, MA)

Comments: Tonight is my first time stepping foot into the unchARTed gallery in downtown Lowell and I am impressed by its small, but cozy and enticing atmosphere. The walls are covered with various, intriguing portraits, I don’t know much about art, but I can recommend art enthusiasts and purveyors to check this place out! Though, this is my first unchARTed show, I have heard of the place for a while now, so I am glad my introduction is with one of my favorite artists, Colleen Green!

Act I: Empty Phrases– Ahh my boys, the Empty Phrases, a budding four piece fresh out of Lowell and ready to take on the world. Alas, tonight they are missing guitarist Evan Walters :( next time brother! Fortunately, the group manages more than fine as a three piece and I can honestly say this is the finest performance I have experienced from these gentlemen. Tonight, they display a much more aggressive, almost a hardcore/noise rock possessed version of Empty Phrases, giving their summery, dream like sound an oddly  enchanting, sinister touch. All in all, a fun, loud, rocking set from one of Lowell’s most promising bands. http://emptyphrases1.bandcamp.com/album/empty-phrases%20

Act II: Plateaus– Plateaus were sick last night when I saw them at the Middle East Upstairs, but I prefer them even more tonight. The PA at unchARTed is a motherfucker, making all the bands sound quite loud, I love it! This is definitely the case for Plateaus, for their power pop sounds even better with the thunderous volume added to the mix. I don’t know if it’s just me, but their set tonight hit me like a ton of bricks and leaves me with an even greater impression of their music.  Check out this badass band! http://plateausband.bandcamp.com/

Act III: Colleen Green– Wooooooo! Night 2 of my Colleen Green extravaganza. KLYAM has the whole Colleen Green coverage as Empty Phrases vocalist/guitarist Ben Raymond puts it. Indeed, the Massachusetts coverage anyway. It has been a privilege of mine to see one of my favorite singers and her glorious backing band two nights in a row. I say this not to sound like a kiss ass as I am sure it may come off that way haha, but I love her music so as a fan the pleasure is all mine, and who wouldn’t want to experience something they love two nights in a row? Masochists that’s who. Anyway, Colleen and crew delivered a fantastic set last night at the Middle East Upstairs, so going into this performance I was ecstatic, rightfully so. The unchARTEd gallery truly is one of the best venues for a Colleen Green show in all of MASS and definitely the DIY atmosphere of this place feels fitting. Once again, I have to give props to the sound system here, I definitely think this is the best way to experience Colleen. When the bands gets their thing on, Colleen introduces the whole band as “Colleen Green,” which I think is awesome. Just like the previous night they rock into the Descendents tune “Good Good Things,” and transition into the fast, punk, Ramones ode “I Wanna Be Degraded.” The PA is nasty here and from what I am told it often unleashes some unpleasant noises (though tonight everything I have heard has been awesome), but the Colleen Green band is able to make everything sound great; nothing sounds harsh; in fact it’s all very soothing to my ears, which at this point are horribly damaged. Seriously, Colleen is one of my favorite singers, her vocals are so soft,  yet powerful, it’s incredible and I cannot think of anyone else that compares to her. Overall, the Colleen Green band destroys and I am a happy camper. I can’t wait to see her and her band again! KLYAM loves you! http://colleengreen.bandcamp.com/

7" Review, Bent Shapes, Local Music, Music

7″ Review: Bent Shapes – “Boys To Men / Brat Poison”

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Band: Bent Shapes
Release: 2012
Label: Cake Time Records

1. Boys To Men
2. Brat Poison

Comments: This is my first time listening to a Flexi Disc and let me say that it has been a positive experience! It’s a brief vinyl – less than 5 minutes of song – but Bent Shapes make me keep placing that needle back on #1. The first song “Boys To Men” is a magnificently catchy pop song — the melody reminds me of why I enjoyed Uninhabitable Mansions debut record so much (slower tempo rock ‘n roll with intriguing vocals). I’d safely say this has almost instantly become a favorite of mine from the Shapes. “Brat Poison” follows a more eclectic (yet still widely intriguing) road to the mind’s consciousness, sort of flowing like an old school hardcore number, but has me thinking “Rock Lobster” for whatever two word reason. Don’t let the repetitions at the end of the song fool ya, unless you are particularly fond of that sort of stuff. Not judging. Do yourself a favor and pop that needle back on #1 again and repeat. For however long you find fit. I’m curious about Bent Shapes after listening to this (and seeing them put on a great show last night as openers for Colleen Green) even more so after hearing a fellow KLYAMer profess his deep admiration for 2009 Girlfriends track “I Was Here, But I Disappear”. So yeah, great work Bent Shapes!