SHOW ALERT: Arts & Crafts Time w/ the Darcys, NO and Reuben and the Dark

Hey kids, it's time for Arts & Crafts! No, this will not involve Play Dough or macaroni and glue- not unless bring your own.

Arts & Crafts is a boutique independent record label based in Toronto and 10 years ago they launched a 'tour package': aka a touring bill made up exclusively of Arts & Crafts bands. The bands on that initial tour were Broken Social Scene, Feist and Stars. Bands currently on the Arts & Crafts roster still include Feist and Broken Social Scene as well as Moby, In The Valley Below, Deer Tick and more and during March and April the Arts & Crafts tour package tradition continues featuring The Darcys and Reuben and the Dark, both of Canadian descent, and NO from Los Angeles.

Los Angeles happens to be where this party kicks off: March 8th at one of LA's finest venues, the Troubadour. As tours go, this is a fairly fine matchup of A&C's musical assets: the art rock of the Darcys meeting the shiny noir of NO divided by the indie harmonies of Reuben and the Dark, all rotating their performance slots throughout the tour. And each band has a new release and new music among them to tour: on February 18th NO released El Prado, last October came Reuben and the Dark's Rolling Stone and September brought the Darcys' Warring (check our review here) where the art rockers craft cool and dramatic layers of sound that have a dreamscape-quality. An audio/visual aide:

There are 21 shows across North America, kids, which equals 21 opportunities to catch this rock solid tour. And again, no on the Play Dough thing.

Mar 08 Los Angeles, CA | Troubadour | Tickets
Mar 09 Scottsdale, AZ | The Western | Tickets
Mar 12 Austin, TX | SXSW
Mar 15 Houston, TX | Fitzgerald's | Tickets [Free Over 21]
Mar 18 Atlanta, GA | Masquerade - Purgatory | Tickets
Mar 19 Chapel Hill, NC | Cat's Cradle | Tickets
Mar 20 Washington, DC | DC9 | Tickets
Mar 21 Brooklyn, NY | Cameo Gallery | Tickets
Mar 22 NYC, NY | Mercury Lounge | Tickets
Mar 23 Boston, MA | Middle East Upstairs | Tickets
Mar 25 Toronto, ON | Lee's Palace | Tickets
Mar 26 London, ON | Call the Office | Tickets
Mar 27 Chicago, IL | Schubas | Tickets
Mar 28 Minneapolis, MN | 7th Street Entry | Tickets
Mar 29 Winnipeg, MB | JUNOFest @ Union Hall | Tickets
Apr 01 Edmonton, AB | The Artery | Tickets
Apr 02 Calgary, AB | The Gateway @ SAIT | Tickets
Apr 03 Kelowna, BC | Habitat | Tickets
Apr 04 Seattle, WA | Barboza | Tickets
Apr 05 Vancouver, BC | Biltmore | Tickets
Apr 06 Portland, OR | Mississippi Studios | Tickets

A Silent Film: LA Moments and a Bed To Call Home

A Silent Film = Robert Stevenson (vox, piano), Karl Bareham (guitar), Ali Hussain (bass) and Spencer Walker (drums)

Their stop in Los Angeles at the Troubadour on February 28th was a sold-out one and- along with Australia’s Gold Fields- fits perfectly into A Silent Film’s nefarious master plan of being (according to Spencer) the “only English band on the road” in a respective tour. Even so, they do admit to being open to the prospect of possibly touring with fellow countrymen and High Voltage favorite, the Chevin. I may have planted an extra seed of potential for such a thing to happen by heartily endorsing the Chevin as really nice guys and reminding them that both bands chose to record their current albums in the same studio in- of all places- El Paso, TX. “I do really like that song [“Champion”],” mused Spencer.

Collectively from Oxford, England, the guys of A Silent Film make beautiful music: the kind that is heartfelt with uplifting, thoughtful and exploratory narratives that pretty girls love to sing along to. And what they deliver live cannot be mistaken for anything other than a rock show as they translate the beautiful into damned fine energy. Touring on their second album, Sand and Snow, and with the radio-ready hits “Harbour Nights,” “Danny, Dakota and the Wishing Well” and “Anastasia” under their belts, they’ve made a healthy impression on this side of the pond, certainly in Los Angeles: this is their fourth tour visit. Their initiation into the City of Angels, their very first LA show, turned out to be at none other than the infamous Viper Room in 2010: An experience categorized as “crazy” and “a bit of a blur.”

Robert: “That was our first opportunity to play LA. The coolest thing about it was when we finished sound check and we had to put our gear somewhere and the guy said ‘Put it in Johnny’s [Depp] booth’. That’s pretty cool.” And the show was a good one, complete with pretty girls singing along so cheers all around.

As far as ‘LA moments’ go, A Silent Film were surely gifted a high quality one that evening, but you’re not truly one of us until you’ve been subjected to when things get just a little awkward.

Karl: “Oh, when we went to that party…”

Spencer: “OH THAT WAS SO LA! That was amazing.”

Robert: “We get invited to this party, we went all the way to the top of Beverly Hills…in a van and trailer [at this point Spencer is giggling, Karl is shaking his head]. There was a valet at the party, so you know what kind of party it is, at a really, really big mansion. Spent ages trying to get the van up the hill to the party! All these fancy cars and there’s our van with a trailer. When we actually did get to the party there were about 15 people there?”

Spencer: “If that. Basically the person whose party it was wasn’t there and there was just a bunch of people like…who just when you walk in immediately look at you, don’t recognize you and go back to their non-conversation while looking over the shoulder of the person they’re talking to. It was the weirdest night.”

Robert: “Actually there was a DJ in the corner just spinning records to nobody. Just being paid to be there. It was so LA. Don’t get me wrong, we’ve had some great nights in LA, but that’s probably the most ‘LA’ night.”

On the flip side, Karl offered up what he considers to be an ‘awesome’ night in Los Angeles: “I like to go to Swingers (West Hollywood diner). Just hanging out.” Robert and Spencer are in wholehearted agreement.

Band formation can tend to be a fluid process as, over time, members may come and go and A Silent Film has been no different. Coming from different bands and moments in time found a way to conspire so that Robert, Karl, Ali and Spencer would eventually and fortuitously meld in 2010. “The nice thing about this band,” Robert says “is that it’s come together like gravity pulled us together. Some benevolent force has got the four of us together to make music because it’s happened very naturally.”
Spencer adds, “It’s evolved into this. Which is a great feeling rather than the four of us just being together and trying to make it work just for the sake of it. This is what’s stuck.”

From here A Silent Film continued their co-headlining tour with Gold Fields in the US, ending their road trip in March at South By Southwest in Austin, TX. There I caught two of their festival sets and, even though it had been a long few months and they were a little road-weary, their shows were no less endearing and vibrant than in Los Angeles. A nomadic and rock and roll lifestyle is not easy. It may be a dream come true, but it’s hard work and sometimes there’s just nothing like sleeping in one’s own bed.

After SXSW, they headed back to the UK for a few weeks of rest in those beds of theirs before resuming life on the road in the US. They're coming back for you, America, so check out their tour dates HERE.

Speaking of beds...

Robert: “Oh my goodness it feels so good when you finally get out of the van and you have somewhere to call ‘home’.”

Spencer: “We don’t say that word, actually, because it’s too emotive. So we don’t use the “B” word in relation to the possessive. It’s too much to handle.”

I’m almost positive that Spencer whimpered.

“I’m going to start welling up. I’m gonna be weeping uncontrollably on the floor if you start talking about my bed.”

I had no idea they were so sensitive.

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Last Week In Review: Irontom, Gold Fields, & Snowden

Three musical offerings of vastly different natures highlighted last week that are worth pointing out. If they're not already, maybe these will wind up on your radar to look forward to when coming to a city near you:

Irontom @ Dragonfly, Hollywood 2/26/2013

There are many reasons why I keep eyes and ears keenly focused on Irontom and this show at Dragonfly was yet another summation: they're one hell of a fucking band. Their immense and eclectic sound taps classic rock, 90s rock and even an undercurrent of reggae and youth and young manhood are definitely on their side. The five-piece of Zach Irons, Dane Sandborg, Dyl Williams, Daniel Saslow and Harry Hayes whose cherubic offstage demeanor in no way prepares you for what he unleashes on stage, made heads bounce and bodies move with songs like "Your Mother" (no really, that's the title), the circus baroque of "Going Slow," the well thought out derision of "What Will Happen To All The Indie Stars?" (yeah that, too, is the title) and "Mind My Halo." 

Their 4-song EP, Loose, and upcoming full length album were both produced by THE amazing Alain Johannes (from Eleven, Queens of the Stone Age, Them Crooked Cultures) and that, alone, speaks to the potential of these guys. Next week they make their way to SXSW to put a beautiful hurt on Austin, TX, so if you're out there, put Irontom on your "must see" list and make it happen. You'll want to be able to boast that you saw them "way back when."

Hits: At one point 2/5ths of Irontom was naked from the waist up.

Misses: Other than their set always seeming too damned short...

Gold Fields @ the Troubadour, West Hollywood 2/28/2013

The electo bombast and rhythm of Gold Fields came to do their thing in Los Angeles and do it on the Troubadour stage for a sold out show. The last time this five-piece from Ballarat, Australia came to LA was in October  2012 for the Culture Collide Festival and it was nothing short of balls to the wall as their dense electro pop aerated by great harmonies served notice that these guys meant business. Now where that October show was a 10 on the rocking scale, this Troubadour show registered about a 7.5. I can't speak to what was ailing young Mark Robert Fuller (vox) but something surely was: it seemed a bit of a challenge for him muster his full-on self and he frequently clutched at his throat but for the 45 minute set he gave it his best and, for the LA crowd, it seemed just fine. Their freshly released full-length debut album Black Sun got proper treatment as the set kicked off with "Meet My Friends" and Fuller pushing through, seemingly feeding off of the energy of his mate Ryan D'Sylva's tribal beat, the swirl of synthesizers, electric chords, more cowbell than you can shake a cow at and a crowd there for a good time. In the end a good time became a great time with "The Woods," "Treehouse" and breakneck "Moves" sounding full and the fully realized gems that they are as Gold Fields brought everything to a rowdy close with their signature "Dark Again." 

Hits: Youth and energy triumphs. Glow sticks were present: yes, I had one.

Misses: No "Ice." Now THAT'S the song I want to hear live. Next time, boys? Thanks in advance.

Snowden @ the Satellite, Los Angeles 3/1/2013

By the looks of and the number of bodies occupying the Satellite in Los Angeles on this Friday night you would think that a few folks have missed Snowden aka Jordan Jeffares and the songs that made his sideways pop nod on post-punk so endearing. "It's been a long seven years since we've played LA." said Jeffares.

"Too long!" random dude loudly volunteered from somewhere in the middle of the Satellite floor. The masses seemed to agree.

This is what happens when you drop a record, it leaves a mark and then you kind of do whatever they did that kept them out of arm's reach for seven years. Doing a balancing act of material from Anti-Anti, EPs and forthcoming album, No One In Control (due May 14th) it was a successful return for Snowden: "Between the Rent and Me" and "Don't Know Me" garnered some sing-along action (love it when people know the words to what others find obscure) and it all came to a fruitful end when Snowden dangled the hook of that damned catchy "The Beat Drops" over the room.

Hits: That guy who kept it analog by waving a real lighter (as opposed to a cell phone or the lighter app) in the air. It was a moment.
Misses: Why didn't more people follow suit? That would've been awesome.

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club Prep Return w/ New Album, Club Dates

12/13/2012

“The war is over, let the battle begin-
The album was officially completed and wrapped in the studio on 12-12-12…
ROBERT LEVON BEEN*” 

This was the Facebook announcement that many have waited for with breath bated and the many collectively exhaled.

Because it meant that a certain wondrous thunder was about to roar again: Los Angeles based trio Black Rebel Motorcycle Club have wrapped up their seventh studio album (due out March 2013, title unknown) and follow up to 2010’s stellar Beat The Devil’s Tattoo. Nine months from beginning to end as the band entered the studio in March of this year, Been summed up this finale with, “Not a moment to late…and not a moment to soon.”

This on the heels of their mid-November announcement of three intimate West coast club shows to close out the year. Shows in the types of spaces which they and their music seem to thrive where BRMC will road test some of the new material on some of their most avid fans. The fortunate few/locations/venues and dates are:

Dec. 19th @ Slim’s, San Francisco, CA (SOLD OUT)
Dec. 20th @ The Catalyst (the Atrium), Santa Cruz, CA (tix available HERE)
Dec. 21st @ The Troubadour, Los Angeles, CA (SOLD OUT)

The musical landscape always welcomes the return BRMC (Peter Hayes, Robert L. Been and Leah Shapiro); they are one of the most disarmingly understated, hard working, notoriously enigmatic bands yet the quality of the atmospheric fuzz, psychedelic and blues infested noise they make resonates louder than anything they could possibly say. Except when Been said, "Peter, Leah and myself are dying to get out of this studio right now and back into the fight. It's taken us a long while getting back on our feet, but the time has come." And it’s that ethos that continues to endear them to the many.

Come Spring 2013, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club takes on Europe and the UK with the first leg of their world tour. Check the dates right HERE so that you can catch this rock and roll gang doing what they do best. 

Los Angeles Gets A Dreamer's Dose

Dreamer's Dose

June 21, 2012

Despite its pitiful battery life and because it’s always with me, the iPhone is my tool-of-choice for interviews and just as we began, a notification on it popped up which one of the guys in Dreamer’s Dose noticed.

Jesse: “I think you got a text.”
Me: “That was Instagram.”
Josh: “What’d you Instagram?”
Me: “You.”
The collective: “Ohhoho!! Okay! Let’s have that! We’ll take that!”

Obviously this relationship is off to a fine start.

Actually, this relationship is off to a rather shady start: we're chatting in a corner of a dark alley behind the esteemed Troubadour in West Hollywood where they just opened the night ahead of two other notable LA bands; Crash Kings and Vanaprasta. It's my first opportunity seeing Dreamer's Dose live. For the most part, I'm a creature of habit my first time with a band: but for the occasional polite applause I'm remain fairly still because I'm watching, listening, and feeling. And also keeping an eye out for particulars that irk or excite me. What was up on that stage 20 minutes ago has shifted from aggressively bludgeoning yet sharply nuanced alternative rock into four amiable young men with varying degrees of unchecked animation. It's charming.

Andrew

“My name is Josh Conway. And I am the drummer in Dreamer’s Dose.”
“I’m Andrew Stogel and I’m the singer in Dreamer’s Dose.”
“My name is Jesse Perlman and I play lead guitar in Dreamer’s Dose.”
“I’m Levi [Dylan] and I play bass.”

For approximately 2 ½ years the band was called Blowing Up the Moon, but recently Josh, Jesse, Andrew, and Levi altered their moniker to Dreamer’s Dose; the name so fresh it doesn't even have its own Facebook page yet. If you feel the urge to question what musical veins have had a somewhat significant influence on the gang of four, you need look no further than a line from the Queens of the Stone Age song, “Medication”:

“Is this the dose you’ve been dreamin’ of?” Andrew semi-sang the line along with affirming that “Our music is the dreamer’s dose.”

Andrew & Levi

What they dose out is a sound that honestly belies their ages: heavy enough to break your skull to if  headbanging is your thing, yet oddly artful (their almost blasphemous definition of their sound follows later). Granted, anyone can (and in LA “anyone” does) pick up the four basic instruments (drums, bass, guitar, voice) and thrash, bash, and hash out sounds and call themselves an honest to goodness band. It doesn’t take much. But Dreamer’s Dose, while still formative, has managed to solidly master the heft of psychedelic and grunge density sans the annoying propensity to drone and be painfully predictable. So far. They’re loud. Loud is good. Jesse’s guitar is a raucous buzzsaw that gets a world of support from Levi’s notes below, and drummers like Josh are interesting in that he and his highly physical output are impossible to ignore. Andrew?

I tend to tweet a lot when at shows and about two songs into Dreamer’s Dose’s set, it went like this:
“There's a pretty good chance that a bit of the essence of Layne Staley has found its way into @DreamersDose."

That and something about them being way too young to sound that good....which brings us to the age thing.

Jesse

Jesse: “The rhythm section is 18 and...”
Andrew: ”...the ‘better’ section is 17.”
Levi: “We’re hanging out with minors right now.”

That’s right: Levi and Josh are 18, and Andrew and Jesse are 17. No matter how shitty you're inclined to let that make you feel, once you get over it, you have to acknowledge that these guys are flat out talented. Talented enough to have just finished recording their 12-song debut album titled At Least We’re Happy with the venerable Alain Johannes (Eleven, Them Crooked Vultures, Eagles of Death Metal) which is due out this year and I call dibs on a listening session.

Interviewing the youthful exuberance that is Dreamer’s Dose is fairly pleasurable; they talk a lot to and over one another in their effort to express almost every thought and, although that presents difficulties for an audio version of an interview, it’s priceless to my mental files. Almost as priceless as this collective description of their sound:

“Afro-beat classical, two-step, hip hop. With mariachi.”
Jesse: “I think in our future we have some dubstep in us.”

The only genre that three out of four wholly shot down was “pop rock.” For reality’s sake, let’s just call it alternative, neo-psychedelic grunge and nobody will get hurt or go to Hell.

Andrew: “There’s a psychedelic side to it, like a “love all” side to it. For the flower child and accepting on the album. Some of the other songs are darker on the album like the song “Boys and Girls” which deals with suicide.”

Josh & Andrew

The words “sex rock" were floated out: Yes I heard that, but part of me wishes I hadn't. In the end, respect for the goodness of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Radiohead, Queens of the Stone Age, and a strong love for Elliott Smith also rose its head so it seems there's much hope for these young guns. I suspect that to be the case because I walked away from the evening with one pervasive (albeit inelegant) thought about Dreamer's Dose: they do not suck. And I appreciate that in a band.

Signed....
@dharma69