Vita.mn Are You Local? Showcase: 2012 SXSW Send-off
Join Vita.mn in a send-off of Minnesota musicians as they head down to the SXSW Music Festival in March.
The lineup includes:
Mainroom:
Astronautalis
Peter Wolf Crier
The Blind Shake
Pink Mink
Fort Wilson Riot
7th Street Entry (Vita.mn's Are You Local? best new band finalists):
Xavier Marquis
Prissy Clerks
The Japhies
One winner from the three Are You Local? finalists plays the Mainroom later that night.
Special thanks to show sponsors Fiat, Crispin, IPR and 89.3 The Current.
ASTRONAUTALIS
Once you find out that Astronautalis was born to a Texas train man with a nose crooked from bar fights and a pretty Kentucky girl who ran away from home at 17 to become a photographer, it becomes clear that he didn’t stumble into the life of a drifter, he was born into it. With a poet uncle who lived off horse betting and hitchhiking, grandfathers who were spies, sailors, and test pilots, and over 500,000 miles of touring under his own belt, you have to wonder where the tales in Astronautalis’ music end and the life of Andy Bothwell begins. Currently settled (for now) in Minneapolis, by way of Seattle, by way of Dallas by way of Jacksonville Beach, FL; Bothwell has spent almost every waking moment of the last 7 years, on the road, playing shows, earning scars, collecting/giving tattoos, grinding out a cult like fan base, and living up to his proud, storied, and whiskey soaked blood line.
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Having started in music over 15 years ago as a battle rapper, Astronautalis’ roots are planted firmly in hip-hop. However, the sounds and styles on his albums are an animal not so easily caged, and his latest release, This Is Our Science is no exception to that tradition of wild genre bending. Like previous records Bothwell uses that limitless approach to aid in his vivid storytelling, but where This is Our Science takes a turn from tradition, is in the subject matter itself. While previous records read like historical fiction, documenting the lives of the bygone, the footnotes, and the forgotten, This is Our Science is pure autobiography. While there are flash references to scientists from the Age of Enlightenment and old dead French mountaineers, these ghosts serve merely as parallels, rest stops in the story of the last 7 years of Bothwell’s romance with the road. Neither a rap record, nor a rock record, it is a work that finally captures the vein popping intensity and high melodrama of his famous live shows. All the while, maintaining the steadfast literary tradition and masterful storytelling of his previous studio albums.
PETER WOLF CRIER
Peter Wolf Crier's second album Garden of Arms is a document that paints a vivid portrait of all the pain and beauty of growth. Written with the at-home repose demanded by performing a hundred shows in six months, these eleven tracks were nurtured from their hushed origins with a new-found footing of confidence and experimentation. Adapting the tenets of the grinding live show, the duo of Peter Pisano and Brian Moen transformed the fuzzy distortion, rolling and crashing drums, and laser-focused purposefulness into an intensely dynamic yet supremely polished album. The notion that any one of these songs could be your favorite depending on where your head and heart reside, moment to moment, is the most appealing aspect of this album. Throughout Garden of Arms, swagger is juxtaposed against an icy delicacy, making the scope of the record complex but somehow an easily digestible statement of how Peter Wolf Crier are rolling: a wheel, rusted with unrestrained hope.
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THE BLIND SHAKE
The Blind Shake are trio of detuned, garage-stomp, noisy punk rock music makers from Minneapois, MN. Known for ferocious live shows and home recorded albums, the band released Rizzograph (2005), Carmel (2007), a split 7” with Birthday Suits (2008) and Seriousness (2011) all on Learning Curve Records. Their first 7", Old Lines, Sore Bones, was released by Fort Gezzepi in 2004. In 2007, they recorded the critically acclaimed collaboration Carbohydrates, Hydrocarbons with noise legend Michael Yonkers as Michael Yonkers with the Blind Shake (Nero’s Neptune 2007) as well as Cold Town/Soft Zodiac split EP featuring Michael Yonkers with The Blind Shake on one side and The Blind Shake on the other (Learning Curve 2009). Two brothers, Mike and Jim Blaha, front the band and play baritone and regular guitar respectively. Longtime chum Dave Roper plays drums. The Blind Shake have toured North America's basements and bars for several years.
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PINK MINK
Pink Mink was what happened when everyone was making other plans. Christy Hunt had returned from 2 years of touring as the guitarist for the Von Bondies and posted a defeatist post about quitting music and going back to school. Longtime friend Arzu Gokcen saw this post and threatened to lock her in a closet with her guitar until she changed her mind. The two, at similar crossroads in their musical paths, decided to give playing together a shot. And it worked beautifully. While jamming in Christy’s basement, they added seasoned engineer and producer Jacques Wait along with drumming ace Charles Gehr and soon the foursome found themselves forming a band – and February 2010, Pink Mink was born. Having the history of all taking part in previously successful outfits (Von Bondies, Selby Tigers, Ouija Radio, etc.) it took no time at all for word to spread about this new formation, and Pink Mink found themselves playing festivals and big shows after barely writing songs for six months.
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Even with all the attention, they were humbled and surprised to have landed the coveted “Picked To Click” honor in City Pages magazine just a short 8 months after playing their first chords together. All this, and their debut album was nowhere near being finished yet. Finally, after a little over a year of being together, Pink Mink regionally-released their self-titled debut in July 2011. The celebration culminated as the band held their release party on a riverboat on the rivers of the great Mississippi. Being known for throwing a grand party, the “cocktail cruise” did not disappoint. Beyond the party reviews, the critics and fans had much praise for the debut album. A trip to SXSW and several Midwest shows and festivals later, Pink Mink is now taking the album out nationally and will hit radio in February 2012. Quickly thereafter a 7″ vinyl will be coming out on Kiss Of Death Records and the band will hit the road in support of both releases.
FORT WILSON RIOT
As they tumble out of the back of a maroon minivan into clubs, bars, living rooms and festivals across America, Fort Wilson Riot are liable to become a favorite local band, no matter where you live. Splitting their time between unstoppable touring and incessant recording, the Minneapolis-based duo of Amy Hager and Jacob Mullis have no shortness of ambition. In their time as a band they have recorded an indie-rock opera, Idigaragua, and performed it with a full cast of actors and dancers, produced and recorded their full length follow-up, Predator/Prey, and dropped singles, remixes and compilations.
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Their ambition doesn’t just include themselves, they actively work to promote other bands who become friends and collaborators on the road. Amy & Jacob will often go out with bands who are perhaps making their first attempts at a tour and Fort Wilson Riot has released several of the Wild-Eyed Scientist mixes to spread the word about the great music and musicians they find all across the country and the world! In their own music, Fort Wilson Riot isn’t just happy to let it stay the same either. Yes, they make great harmonies, with Amy’s soprano lifting and floating over Jacob’s growl and yelp, but there is nothing easily classifiable about the rest of their sound. From the crashing guitars and keys, to the blasting uplift of trumpet and harmonica lines to the dancing thump of electronic drums, Fort Wilson Riot are an energy that grabs a hold of you and takes you on a journey. The music doesn’t let up, and wherever they are, neither do Fort Wilson Riot.
XAVIER MARQUIS
Xavier Marquis (pronounced Zay-vee-air Mar-key), was born in Minneapolis, MN. Xavier’s knack for music and rhythm was evident at a young age. At the age of 9, Xavier started writing his first rhymes. In the 5th grade, at age 10, Xavier formed his first rap group that went by the name “The Little XDL” with his cousin Dom Davis aka Dearling Physique. At age 16, he purchased his first keyboard. It was that keyboard that helped Xavier hone his production skills. In 2002, Xavier was introduced to Ray Seville of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis’ company Flyte Tyme, and immediately started producing for various artist’s. During his stint at Flyte Tyme, Xavier vigorously studied the production of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis past work and created his own unique formula to producing hits that took his songwriting, rapping, and production skills to a new level. “The time I spent at Flyte Tyme was essential to my growth as a music producer and artist. There was so much history there. Just to know that you were recording in the same place that Michael and Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey, Boys II Men, and Usher once recorded in is breathtaking and motivating.”
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In 2007, Xavier started his production company, Findin’ Muziq. The name Findin’ Muziq was chosen because of Xavier’s strong desire to find and create a new sound in mainstream music. In 2009, Xavier focused on his first mixtape, The X-Files Mixtape: Episode 1, which was a highly anticipated mixtape full of original songs and beats that were inspired by many different styles and genre’s of music. Xavier understands the importance of versatility, saying, “I like to give listeners’ ears a full course meal. A lot of artists are either afraid or unable to step out of the box. People get tired of the same ole’ thing all the time, so I attempt to give them a little bit of everything to fill not only their appetite, but mine as well.” The critically acclaimed mixtape was successfully released March 9, 2010. In July 2011, Xavier headlined The X-Files Mixtape: Episode 2 Release Show. Accompanied by his backing band, Xavier performed to a near-capacity crowd at 7th Street Entry (First Avenue) in Minneapolis, MN. The Mixtape featured the single “Open Letter” which was awarded the Urban Finals Grand Prize by Ourstage.com. Now, Xavier is performing and promoting his latest mixtape, Episode 2. He is also working on Happy Kids, a side project with backing-band mate and long-time friend Munqs.
PRISSY CLERKS
It’s a brisk Saturday evening and Clara Salyer's new group, Prissy Clerks, which she formed last October, just won Vita.mn’s annual Are You Local? contest after a performance the previous night at First Avenue’s 7th St Entry. "Prissy Clerks emerged from this dark place and since then, even including last night, its coming to this really happy balance, personally and musically," Salyer said. The quintet features Dylan Ritchie of Teenage Strangler on guitar, Howard Hamilton III of Red Pens and the NPC’s (which also includes Ritchie and Salyer) on bass, former Total Babe drummer Tim Leick and high school friend Emily Lazear playing accordion.
While there’s some overlap in sound, Prissy Clerks finds Sayler and her new cohorts toiling in grander, more reverb-drenched arrangements as opposed to the lush folk-pop that defined most of Total Babe’s material. For instance, “No Sir,” which is already getting regular airplay on The Current, is a bittersweet slice of melodic pop rock. The sonics are all sparsely arranged, which allows each instrument to fully breathe underneath Sayler’s wispy vocals before closing out with an explosion of ethereal clutter. "Total Babe didn't have a bass. They had a violin that was always kind of quiet in the mix,” Hamilton, who originally advised Sayler to pursue a solo career after the break up, said. “You could always put the tag of folk on anything for Total Babe and you can't really do that with Prissy Clerks. And of course the accordion is a big step.” But the shift in sound can also be attributed to the fact that, despite her being at the helm of this project, Sayler’s not just writing and assigning parts. Prissy Clerks is more of a collaborative effort that involves the entire group. [Raghav Mehta, MN Daily]
THE JAPHIES
The Japhies pick up where classic rock radio has left us, wondering what has happened to the authenticity of rock bands. Difficult to describe but undeniable when witnessed live, The Japhies have revived the corpse of rock and roll, bringing a visceral, raw energy to live performances as well as dynamic songwriting, reminding fans that it's okay to turn it up to 11. Their music, performances and persona have inspired a wide array of classifications. But possibly the best description of The Japhies has come from Ciaran Daly of The Idle Hands, a staple band of the Minneapolis rock scene, after experiencing a live show: "The Japhies were decanted from a test tube of Iggy Pop's semen mixed with the accumulated DNA of the 80s sunset strip."
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Local radio personality Cyn Collins (Spin With Cyn) has quickly become a diehard advocate for the band: "A newer band becoming well-known for their unpredictably killer live shows, The Japhies are one of my favorite new bands this year, a band to be watched as they are taking off." The reputational success of their self-released six-song EP in March 2011 afforded The Japhies an opportunity to flex their DIY muscles. The summer saw them relentlessly booking, promoting and performing over 50 shows across five states, all without external assistance from agents or promoters. Worth noting as well, The Japhies never lost money while on tour. Always diligent, obsessed with their craft, The Japhies are currently secluded in a remote rehearsal studio in the bowels of Minneapolis writing, practicing and perfecting new material for their highly-anticipated full-length album due out early 2012.
