TUESDAY: CHAD VALLEY
Chad Valley’s last album, Young Hunger, was a bucolic exercise in beachside ’80s jams that featured kindred spirits like Twin Shadow, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, and Glasser, a Bermuda Triangle of artists that the singer and synth-master (real name Hugo Manuel) settles comfortably within. He’s following that up with his sophomore LP, Entirely New Blue, which arrives October 2 via Cascine. It’s a bit more of an introspective effort this time around, written between Manuel’s time in London with his girlfriend and his move to Oxford after they broke up. “True,” the first single off the record, shades his voice with a little Auto-Tune. A thumping four-on-the-floor beat pulses brighter than his earlier work, as if freedom from relationship blinders has opened his already neon-hued genre palette. [SPIN]
Sounds like: Tanlines, Craft Spells, Kisses
WEDNESDAY: EZRA FURMAN
A thoughtful lyricist taking his poetic inspiration, songcraft ideas, and even a few fashion cues from Bob Dylan, Ezra Furman sings in a nasally style similar to the Violent Femmes’ Gordon Gano while making unpretentious indie folk/indie pop that’s raw, deep, and achingly sentimental. As students of Tufts University, guitarist Jahn Soon, bassist Job Mukkada, and drummer Jordan Kozer formed the Harpoons as Furman’s backing band in 2006 and self-recorded Beat, Beat, Beat in their dorm rooms with the help of engineer Dave Kant of Outtake Records. After self-releasing a limited run of the album and taking their first tour of the States, producer Brian Deck (Modest Mouse, Iron & Wine) took notice and pulled the band into the studio to record. The result was Banging Down the Doors, a sincere, awkward, and moving debut released by Minty Fresh in August of 2007. Only a year later, despite extensive touring, Furman found time to write another album’s worth of material and the second Ezra Furman & the Harpoons record, Inside the Human Body, was released in October of 2008. Mysterious Power followed in 2011 before Furman released his first solo album, Year of No Returning, in 2013. By 2014, his reputation in the indie world had grown considerably, especially in Britain, leading to his signing with the London-based Bella Union label later that year. His second solo release, Perpetual Motion People, was released the following summer in June 2015. [All Music]
Sounds like: Courtney Barnett, Father John Misty, The Decemberists
THURSDAY: NUNS
Nuns, the enigmatic solo project of multi-instrumentalist Hank Hanewinkel III, sprang to life in a flash of songwriting inspiration on a cold December 2012 night in Nashville, TN. As it turns out, the 24-year old had no plans whatsoever to begin writing a solo record that night. But when the muse speaks, it’s usually best to listen carefully. That’s exactly what he did. It’s not that Hanewinkel was unprepared for such an occasion…most of his life has been immersed in music. It started early for the Broken Arrow, OK, native. Growing up in a tight-knit family of performers, Hanewinkel received years of solid rock’n’roll training from his father, a music producer. He was introduced to drums at the ripe old age of two. By 10, he took an interest in guitar. Soon after, he started writing his own songs. Several years later, Hanewinkel formed a power trio, The Red Alert, with his sister and uncle. They eventually went on to win the national John Lennon Educational Tour Bus Battle of the Bands, which landed them a slot on the Warped Tour. After enduring The Red Alert’s untimely demise in 2011 and experiencing some life-altering relationship woes, Hanewinkel stopped writing songs for an entire year. He opted instead to keep his head down and play drums for several Tulsa area bands…letting music and life come to him at its own unpredictable pace instead of chasing it down. His songwriting sabbatical ended, however, during a much-needed vacation to visit some friends in Nashville. As Hanewinkel describes it, a guitar found its way into his hands and his creative floodgates simply re-opened…with a vengeance. It was a true “out of the blue” experience for him. The music flowed like a torrent. By the time Hanewinkel entered his father’s recording studio in Feb. 2013 to begin tracking what would eventually become Nuns’ gorgeous, psychedelic 10-song debut release, Opportunities, most of the record was already written. During mixing sessions for the release, Hanewinkel passed some early demos to Tulsa label Passive Recordings, who eagerly signed Nuns to their roster. Passive released Opportunities on vinyl and digital formats in May 2014. [Jarrod Gollihare]
Sounds like: Swmrs, No Noise, Daddy Issues
FRIDAY: THE JOY FORMIDABLE
The Joy Formidable are an indie rock band formed in 2007 in North Wales, United Kingdom, currently located in London, England. The group members are Ritzy Bryan (vocals, guitar), Rhydian Dafydd (bass, backing vocals), and Matt Thomas (drums). Their music has been described as “primal epic grunge rock à la The Breeders, Arcade Fire and Yeah Yeah Yeahs”. Vocalist/guitarist Ritzy Bryan and bassist Rhydian Dafydd originally played together as part of indie rock band Tricky Nixon, which later reformed into a new wave/post-punk band Sidecar Kisses. In 2007 they regrouped on returning to Mold, Wales and formed The Joy Formidable, with Justin Stahley now on drums. The Joy Formidable released their debut single, “Austere”, on 7″ through Another Kitchen Records on 18 August 2008. “Austere” was followed with a second single, a limited edition double 7″ physical release of “Cradle” on Try Harder Records on 2 February 2009. In 17 February 2009, the band issued an 8-track mini album A Balloon Called Moaning on Pure Groove Records. In support of the record the band appeared at several notable festivals, including Latitude Festival, Reading Festival and Leeds Festival during which time Justin Stahley was replaced on the drums by Matthew Thomas. In May 2009, they issued the single, “Whirring”, on 7″ through Friends Vs Records, which was BBC Radio 2’s Radcliffe and Maconie Show’s Pick of the Week for the week of 11 May 2010. At the end of 2009, The Joy Formidable released a free digital-only single “Greyhounds in the Slips”, produced by and featuring ex-Mansun frontman Paul Draper and a limited edition live album entitled First You Have To Get Mad on 30 November 2009, which had been recorded at their headline London Garage gig two months previously. The band also notably toured the UK with Editors and Passion Pit. On 26 June 2010, they supported Paul McCartney at Cardiff’s Millenium Stadium. The very next day, the band performed an opening set on the Other Stage at the Glastonbury Festival 2010. They also toured as part of the 2010 NME Radar Tour, supported by Chapel Club, Flats and Wilder. Another single entitled “Popinjay” was released through iTunes Store on 21 February 2010, ahead of a physical release on 5 April 2010. In 11 October 2010, The Joy Formidable issued the single “I Don’t Want To See You Like This”. In 24 January 2011, The Joy Formidable released their debut studio album The Big Roar on Atlantic Records. The album was very favorable received by critics. The Big Roar was preceded by the re-issue of the single “Austere”. [Last.fm]
Sounds like: Big Pink, Tokyo Police Club, We Were Promised Jetpacks
SATURDAY: THE SURF DAWGS “Album #6 CD Release Party”
The Surf Dawgs are a Rock Instrumental band (despite the word Surf in the band’s name) from Minneapolis, Minnesota. They have been performing in the upper Midwest area since 2001 featuring Zippy Caplan of the Cult garage band The Litter on Lead Guitar and, when available, Bob Spalding of The Ventures also on Lead Guitar. Following the 2001 release of Zip’s solo CD Zip Caplan and Cast of Thousands “Monsters and Heroes”, the co-producer of the CD, Bernie “Bombers” Bomberg, joined with Zip to form a vintage style instrumental group that paid tribute to the Rock instrumental classics of the 1950’s and 1960’s in addition to their own interpretation of other classic Rock songs from that era and beyond. [thesurfdawgs.com]
Sounds like: Martin Cilia, The Challengers, Urban Surf Kings
SUNDAY: BAUMHAUS V – A Night of Improvised Minimal Techno with tiny deaths + friends
tiny deaths is poised to be the next breakout act from Minneapolis, a city rich in talent (having birthed the likes of Polica and Gayngs in the past few years). Sounding simultaneously almost familiar and yet like nothing else, Grant Cutler (Lookbook, Wolflords) and Claire de Lune (The Chalice) have joined forces to create a fresh take on the dark, brooding electropop movement currently dominating indie rock. After almost crossing paths time and time again, it was a chance meeting two years ago at a show Cutler’s band was playing in an underground art loft in Minneapolis’ warehouse district that began the symbiotic musical relationship that would become tiny deaths. “I stumbled upon the first song of their set and I was completely blown away,” de Lune recalls. “Grant’s style was just the kind of music I’ve been dying to make forever—I just didn’t know there was anyone in this city making it.” […] Cutler, having relocated to Brooklyn after making the record and ever the prototypical reclusive producer, prefers to stay behind the scenes, so the pair amassed an all-star band to bring the songs to life. Accompanying de Lune on the vocals at the live shows are Jared Isabella and Aaron Baum of Night Moves (Domino Records) on drums and guitar, respectively, and renowned Twin Cities stalwart Ben Clark of Votel on bass. The result is a sexy, shimmering collage of color and texture, a refreshing blend of the electronic and the analog, the peripheral and the tangible. In this way, tiny deaths’ live show is a dichotomy. It’s something you can move to, with bass that pulses through your whole body. But lyrically it’s delicate and introspective, and the vocals are so arresting, you could just as easily wind up so awestruck you’re motionless. Challenging yet accessible, veering into experimental with both feet planted firmly in pop sensibility, tiny deaths, though influenced by its Minneapolis roots, has all the makings of something bigger than this little “city of lakes” can contain.
Sounds like: Rose Quartz, Break Fast, New Shack
MONDAY: BEN CAPLAN & THE CASUAL SMOKERS
Rugged, raspy, and roaring with charisma, Ben Caplan’s voice is to song as smoke is to bourbon: perfectly coupled. He is a songwriter and performer who is bold in both range and ferocity. The music is fueled by a quality of melodrama and powerful lyricism that sets Caplan apart from his peers. Either solo or backed by his band, The Casual Smokers, Ben Caplan has captured the attention of music fans and media across Canada, Australia, and throughout Europe. Ben Caplan is supported by upright bass, drums, Eastern European inspired strings, and occasionally horns. Ben himself moves between guitar and piano, marking his place in the world’s music landscape with an outrageous musicality and a growling spirit. Besides writing and recording, Ben Caplan is almost perpetually on tour, having played more than 1000 shows since the release of his debut album in late 2011. His songs, his voice, his humor, and his charm collude to create a rhapsodically energetic live show – an elegant cacophony drawing fans in ever widening circles. On the strength of his debut album, In The Time of the Great Remembering, Ben Caplan won numerous Canadian awards, including Nova Scotia’s 2012 Entertainer of the Year and the East Coast Music Award for Rising Star Recording of the Year for 2013. He’s shared stages with acts ranging from Grizzly Bear and Dirty Projectors to The Staves and Blondie. In addition to his 1000+ club shows, He’s played major festivals around the world including the UK’s Glastonbury in 2013. In 2015, Ben Caplan will continue to break new ground with dates planned across North America and around the world. His highly anticipated second album, Birds with Broken Wings, is prospected to be released internationally in late spring/early summer of 2015.
Sounds like: Steve Smyth, Willie Stratton, I Am Oak
Blog by Gina Reis
