Lineup: Ben Fields (vox/guitar), Jeremy Winkie (vox/bass) and Matt Texter (drums/keys)
Location: Louisville, Kentucky
80s movies fans might recognize the 16 Candles reference in Cricket’s latest album title, Sofa City Sweetheart. Based out of Louisville, the progressive rock trio comprised of Ben Fields on vocals and guitar, Jeremy Winkie on vocals and bass and Matt Texter on drums and keyboards signify the distinctive sound that has drawn attention to the area, especially with the popularity of My Morning Jacket, VHS or Beta, and Will Oldham. (From this outsider’s view, Louisville, Asheville (NC) and Chicago, appear to be producing a trend of some of the more interesting rock performers.) That distinctiveness, too, is a necessary quality for aspiring bands trying to rise through such a saturated Kentucky rock scene. Says bassist Jeremy Winkie: “it’s a good place to play and get your chops, but you can’t make a living playing music here. Everyone and their mother plays drums or guitar or can sing. There are really a load of good musicians here. Too many to get recognized, so the bands with the biggest crowds tend to be the ones with the most friends socially.” The band is also competing for ears in a scene that is, according to Winkie, divided into frat-styled hard rock with some emo thrown in on the one hand and indie rock on the other, “which is difficult for us, because we have hard rock, indie and progressive influences, which I think confuses people.”
Cricket has a somewhat lengthy history in trying to find their present sound. Initially founded by vocalist/guitarist Ben Fields’ oldest brother Rob and neighborhood friends, it existed as a mostly non-gigging band in the mid to late 90s. Around 2000, Ben Fields and youngest brother Justin began writing music together and taking the band in a more serious direction. With David King on bass, the new lineup recorded an eight track EP, “Motel Magazine.” When King left for college, his vacancy was filled by long-time friend of the Fields brothers, Jeremy Winkie and the band kept busy with gigs, performing nearly every weekend in 2005 and sometimes playing three shows in a day. When drummer Justin Fields left the band in 2006, the band was put on a rather abrupt hold until Fields found Matt Texter, an old friend trained in music theory and of course, drums.
The 12-track Sofa City Sweetheart marks the band’s debut full-length album. Though the band’s foremost identifier is probably Field’s high pitched vocals, perhaps its best quality is the amount of instrumental variation the three piece wields, which becomes immediately apparent in the transition from the first track “de Nova,” a short unimposing and dreamy setup of wah-wah guitar, to the second track “Paper Trees, Violet Hearts,” which kicks off with a quick drum stick countdown followed by speedy guitar repetition as though barely nudging the listener to immediately prepare for the shift.
Much of the album wavers between tasty heavy-gain licks (“Here We Are,” “The Coast Off LA” and “Movie Trailer”) and an almost early 90s alt-rock mix of whirling and sometimes sporadic bounciness that is particularly highlighted by Field’s lead guitar and Winkie’s smooth driving bass. As the intro to “Losing It,” the combination almost seems reminiscent of the bluesy-rock mix of early Red Hot Chilli Peppers. But it works best on the track, “Strokin’ It,” which also has a sort of Ninja Gaiden sensibility about it at the end (it’s not-so-secretly the author’s favorite track).
“Steams Flow” begins almost like the Pixies “Where is My Mind,” the slowed beat, whirling clean guitar, and feint background additions that sound like flowing wave give the sense of watching the oddly beautiful mass demolition in Fight Club, though Field’s high pitch style and the layered vocals give the impression of almost playfully indie, standing apart from a generally more ferocious presence. It’s a loose, elegant closer, and if listening to the entire album on repeat, serves as less of a nudge for the brief, dreamy introduction of “de Nova.” Yet, despite the intensity and playfulness of the albums, the lyrics of some of the tracks feel less adventurous, at least on tracks where rhyming patterns seemed curiously obligatory.
Nonetheless, carrying the torch of the Cricket name for better than ten years, Fields, Winkie and Texter have found a sound that works incredibly well and produced an album that is sure to grow on its faithful listeners.
Lineup: Alex Keena (vox, guitar), Rick Powderly (keys), Tim Shull (bass), Krum (drums)
Location: Asheville, NC
With the mega successes of bands like The Shins and Modest Mouse and semi-success of The National, indie rock has formed a genre standard: lyrics of young self-reflection, layered vocals, and instrumental backings of odd chord repetition from clean lead and fuzzed rhythm guitars, unobtrusive drumming and bass lines, and dreamy organs, pianos or synthesizers. With similar elements described in reviews as rock with all the hooks, the underrated North Carolina four-piece Bandazian, already with an EP and album to their name, are ripe for major play. Unfortunately, the dominant music outlets might be too overloaded with the same for the gentlemen to have their proper dues. Still, the interested Washington DC area enthusiast can hope for more than the band’s occasional presence at Jammin’ Java in Vienna, Virginia. Having passed through there while touring with Surprise! Arizona of Fairfax, Virginia this summer, they return for a late December date amidst recording a new album.
Lineup: Vocals: Steve Jones (vox), Anthony Rigby (guitar), Nick Higham (bass), and Simon Misra (drums)
Location: Wigan, UK
Dance-worthy bands these days seem come in several forms: the disco-rock style of dominant bass and synthesizer demonstrated by bands like The Electric Six and Franz Ferdinand; the biting classic rock styled guitar bands like Jet; or bubble gum tinted lo-fi of bands like The Brunettes. The dance-worthy tunes of the UK band, Moco, are an arsenal of raging garage rock full of catchy tunes, scratchy vocals, fast beats, and optimum crunch that pay homage to both British invasion-era rock and a more recent ancestry in bands like The Stranglers and The Stooge. At times, they’re more pop with songs like Miss Mantaray and Cool Dancing, and at other times, with tracks like Wah Wah Wah and Baby When You Die, they’re fully-amped insanity.
Lineup: Andy Crosby (vox, keys), Ant Cooper (bass), Krispen (lead guitar), Tim Gannon (drums)
Locations: Sydney, Australia
Sound Casino is a solid pop rock band rich in big sound and polished production. Now working on their debut album, Don’t Know the End, the band seems to be shedding its crisp, 90s post-grunge style that defined their 2006 Seven Seas EP for a smoother pop approach signaled by tracks like Without You and Night Flight, even changing Don’t You Know to a piano medley. It isn’t that the sentimental context, pushing guitars to the back while spotlighting Andy Crosby’s vocals don’t suit the band. In fact, the Sydney-based band has always been capable of turning out tracks that fit the equation for Top 40s radio play. But the EP and new tracks, Midnight Vandal (which hints influences in The Hives) and While We’re Waiting reveal their best stuff is that original sound. But, at least they haven’t abandoned it entirely.
Lineup: Adrian Beltrame (guitar, vox), Dominic Byrne (guitar, vox), Quang Dinh (bass, vox), Tom Hartney (vox), Taka Honda (drums)
Locations: Melbourne, Australia
Somewhere on turntables in 1980s Australia, Motown and Doo Wap records were spinning tunes that eventually inspired five guys to form Little Red, a band self-described as “The World’s Grooviest White R&B Vocal Group.” Performing in matching suits made popular by the Beatles, they are exactly that: fun jukebox rhythm and blues-though vocalist Tom Hartney has said he liked the mod-soul label once given to the band. However, in fairness to bassist Quang Dinh and drummer Taka Honda, they’re not exactly all white guys. But with a repertoire mixing punchy melodies and backing harmonies (Coca Cola) with wailing soul (Cry Cry Live, It’s Alright) and modern attitude (Speedo), they all certainly do groove.
Lineup: Bill Gillim (vox), Joel Ford (bass), Aynsley Powell (drums), Andrew Brady (guitar)
Location: Brooklyn, NY
The music video for The Strokes early major single Last Night features the band setting up to play live on a vintage variety show set. If viewers were completely unfamiliar with the band, the video might be mistaken for a rerun of a 1970s performance that few people, if any, had seen or heard before. The same might be said of the anachronistic Brooklyn pop rock quartet, Tigercity. With subtle synthesizers, cleanly plucked guitars and cymbal-heavy drumming backing falsetto lyrics, the songs of heartbreak and angst on the Pretend Not to Love EP are directly rooted in the 1980s, wavering between the early decade’s disco-laced rock (Other Girls) that recall Prince, David Bowie and Hall n’ Oats and a distinctly obscure mid 80s pop rock style as heard on the tracks Are You Sensation and Red Lips, recalling bands like Lloyd Cole & The Commotions, China Crisis, Machinations and, to some extent, the more recent VHS or Beta. Although an odd choice for a revivalist band that hopefully abandons the androgynous fashion victim accessories that accompanied the decade, Tigercity is likely to find loyalty among fans of obscure 80s music and the indie rock enthusiast in search of something beyond the acoustic standard.
Featured video: Other Girls (live at the Mercury Lounge)
Lineup: Andrew White (vox, guitar), James (guitar, vox), Patrick (bass), the HITman (drums)
Location: London, UK
Once A Thief isn’t a band for the glassy-eyed scenesters who like to stand around at shows with arms crossed, indifferently bobbing their heads to the beat. This is a band with a reputation for intensity in both recordings and on stage. Tracks like Ice Cream Headache and Heavy Set are loaded with catchy, accent-heavy lyrics, spiraling guitar solos, and crash-heavy drums that compel listeners to turn the volume up-way up-and thrash. Wailing flange and White’s paranoid lyrics dominate Sirens. In between, the boys cut up the strings and beats, revealing influences in the goofier side of British pop rockers like Blur (think the first half of the Park Life album) with songs like Town That I Built, Billy Smarts, Busy Being Lazy, Here Come The Junkies. And, the cleaner, almost 80s-sounding Satellites puts the boys in a category with fellow UK bands The Rifles and The Rebs. But whether thrashing or dancing, Once A Thief deliver a sound designed to get you to your feet and keep you moving until its over.
Lineup: Jamie dawson (guitar), Ken Crussell (guitar), Graham Collie (bass), Tim Whitehouse (keys) and Chris Ross (drums)
Location: Billingham, UK
Stonedrifters: you’ve come a long way baby. The UK-based psychedelic rockers originated in 2004 as an experimental trio from Billingham. But, even with little “musical or instrumental experience” the band, having recruited a seasoned drummer and keyboardist, soon developed their sound into a “melodic sound of raw guitars and harmonizing bass lines” and an ethic for music with attitude. Thus, Stonedrifters are not psych-rock in the purist sense of cumbersome 12-minute improvisation and indulgence that bands like Dead Meadow have managed to revive on stage. Their psychedelic roots, aside from the dominating imagery of yellow smiley faces and tie dye patterns on promotional materials, exist in the demo recordings as winding transitions and internalized lyrics like “Can you feel it inside?” on the track Inside and “Nicotine and gasoline go pumping through my brain” to start the track Am I Still Alive, luring listeners into a beefy alt-rock playground of gritty guitar, heavy synthesizers, steady beats, and meaty lyrics. Their recent track, See the Distance, might signal a new approach for the band, offering a cleaner atmospheric tone that readily establishes kinship with The Charlatans, The Kooks and Stone Roses. But whether fast or slow, Stonedrifters promise plenty of that “go out and get you.”
Simple Kid is absolute modesty. The one-man act is as musically versatile as Beck or Portland Oregon’s folk rock superstar, M. Ward. And, likewise, he has just as little to say about himself. With two minimalist titled albums-SK 1 and SK 2-the official biography is blunt: he released an album of moderate success but was unhappy with it and quit music for a while. “The Great Hibernation” followed with employment at a video store where happily spent days watching Weird Science and Werner Herzog movies. “He eventually decided that he wanted to write songs again. He surprised himself by really enjoying it. So he recorded the songs and did some shows… he is enjoying doing this at the present date… And he is still surprised.” Simple Kid might only be loosely classified within the genre of indie rock as his music suggests constant experimentation. The ode to escapism, Seratonin, is guided by acoustic guitars, strings and harmonicas. The Average Man is characterized by humorous lo-fi. And yet, Lil’ King Kong highlights a rich 90s polish, playful banjo and occasional “woofs”, layered vocals and big choral backing that might be compared to the introduction to Jane’s Addiction’s Been Caught Stealing.
Lineup: Scott Butler (vox, guitar, keys), Landon Thompson (vox, guitar, keys, fx) and John Aldridge (bass, brass)
Location: Austin, TX
The Black & White Years… they’re the same three guys (and some rotating drummers) as five different band names. Possessing a unique, lo-fi sound, the band was once described as “modern pop sensibility melded with rock exotica-roots, reggae-folk for a techno retro black and white experience.” What does that even mean? Even the Ninja might not be able to answer that. But the pale Austin trio sporting nerdcore attire and fashionable mustaches has whipped up a collection of imprecise, upbeat experimental mish mash and musical doppelganger. Songs like Power to Change, The Wetter Sea and Evil Ape offer lyrical seriousness from vocalist Scott Butler whose distant singing and fuzziness might be compared to The Strokes (think Modern Age) and Robbers on High Street. But, even the seriousness is shrouded in cheerful instrumentals recalling the not-too-excessive wackiness of 80s post-punk and ska (as it was before the pop punk invasion). Songs like You Are a Dragon and Waking the Dream are charged with B-52s styled synth, beat machines, clapping effects, vocal harmonies, 70s funk horns, reggae organs and beach blanket bingo style surf rock guitar solos. Really, the band seems willing to try anything to find completeness. After all, kicking ass can be a meticulous craft.
(Originally printed in Montag #3)
Recommended track: Waking the Dream, Power to Change, Broken Hand
Lineup: Shelby Sinca (vox, guitar, mandolin, strumstick), Saadat Awan (vox, drums, percussion), Stephen Guidry (accordion, moutharp, megaphone), Tom Bernath (vox, bass, ukulele) and Arthur Harrison (vox, theramin, chants), Christine Francis (vox) and Ryan Goodrow (banjo, vox)
Location: Washington, DC
“Looking forward, backward, and sideways… The Cassettes have made their presence known and they invite all to come along on a journey to mythic lands and forgotten times.”The lineup of The Cassettes has been both lengthy and subject to frequent changes, now holding steady (and officially) at five guys (on stage) who share members with the DC bands Metropolitan and Person and at one time, employment at Murky Coffee in Arlington, Virginia. As one of the most unique performing bands, they may be accurately defined as concept rockers as they genuinely strive to create an experience beyond just performing songs. Dressed in costume, The Cassettes seem perfect for a cartoon about time traveling musicians ala The Yellow Submarine. Show fliers read like proclamations from the town square. The merch booths at the show stock both Captain’s Choice Tea Blende and Arthur Harrison’s latest consumer model Theremin in addition to the usual items of recordings and shirts. On stage, the band delivers sweaty performances and a sense of humor. In between energetic folk or vintage southern rock (steel slide guitar and all) that recalls Billy Childish and the Irish band, Floyd Soul & the Wolf, audiences are treated to Arthur’s unusual stump chants, Saadat’s jokes told to the beat of the tambala, and even cartoon projections. Having performed more shows locally in recent months (they tend to migrate to Philadelphia and New York City more often), the DC crowd should look out for the next scheduled sojourn to mythic lands and forgotten times.
(Originally printed in Montag #2)
Featured video: Lady Faire (live at Crooked Beats Records)
The Binges are co-ed rock n’ roll that will get you foaming at the mouth. Pay to Play is a good starter track. The simplicity of three chord guitar and Dylan Squatcho’s screeching vocals conjures romanticized images of late 1970s (and even 90s rock n’ roll during the post-alternative revivalist periods) like fast cars, leather jackets, bar brawls, house parties, cigarettes and other symbols of the halcyon. The band sounds heavily influenced by New Zealand chart-toppers, Jet and The Vines, but with more ferociousness than the tempered spirits of the commercial mainstream allow, offering an anthem to West Coast attitude with songs like Los Angeles and Never That Way (Wake me/Com’mon and shake me/I want someone to make me/But it never works that way). Kick up those amps, scream yourself hoarse and get those kiddies in the crowd to move their fucking feet!
Singer/songwriters strumming acoustic guitars may be overpopulating the indie rock landscape, but breed one with a creative drummer and you might end up with something as special as San Francisco-based The Dodos. Formerly Dodo Bird, the marriage of the clean guitar work, velvety vocals, and sharp lyrics of Meric Long with the wild primal percussions of Logan Koeber creates a unique yet accessible sound, brilliantly walking that thin line between experimental anti-folk and indie pop. Some recommended tracks would be Men and Hornie Hippies (which features some great George of the Jungle style drum work) off their 2006 album Beware of the Maniacs, and Fools, which appears on the upcoming 2008 album Visitor. Having just signed with French Kiss records, they’ll be touring the West Coast in December with label mates Les Savy Fav in addition to a planned performance at SXSW in March when the new album is released.
Lineup: Ben Ashely (vox, guitar), Wayne Faler (guitar), Kyle Mullarky (bass) and John Wilmer (drums)
Location: Los Angeles, CA
The Shore’s bio-written by a music critic-appropriately chastises the failures of the commercial mainstream to be innovative and experimental. “When is the last time commercial radio moved you like it did when you were a teenager? Where is the human touch in today’s programming? Where is the love in the music? The love is right here, you jerks! Are you listening to The Shore yet?” Formed in 2002, this is a band who’s musical contribution is a rich 90s pop rock sound filled with Ben Ashley’s serene vocals over luscious instrumental backings of dreamy reverb, strings, piano and subtle drums. The music appears most heavily influenced by Oasis (without the ego of the Gallagher brothers) and The Verve while their modern counterparts may be found in the mellower selections of The Rifles and especially, fellow Californian indie rockers The Day (featured in Montag #2). Ashley describes the band’s intentions for their melancholy self-titled album debut: “We wanted to make a record that was gentle and beautiful but the live show grew into a different sort of beast.” Yet even with the potential as a crowd-pleaser, this is a band that rarely tours outside of the Los Angeles area.
necessary quality for aspiring bands trying to rise through such a saturated Kentucky rock scene. Says bassist Jeremy Winkie: “it’s a good place to play and get your chops, but you can’t make a living playing music here. Everyone and their mother plays drums or guitar or can sing. There are really a load of good musicians here. Too many to get recognized, so the bands with the biggest crowds tend to be the ones with the most friends socially.” The band is also competing for ears in a scene that is, according to Winkie, divided into frat-styled hard rock with some emo thrown in on the one hand and indie rock on the other, “which is difficult for us, because we have hard rock, indie and progressive influences, which I think confuses people.”