TUESDAY: Communion Club Night April ft. Hey Rosetta!
Hey Rosetta! hails from the rocky and cold northeastern province of Newfoundland, Canada. In 2005, frontman Tim Baker arrived home from a road trip with a suitcase full of poems and melodies. Hey Rosetta! was formed soon after with the addition of a string section (cellist Romesh Thavanathan and violinist Kinley Dowling) and rhythm section (bassist Josh Ward, drummer Phil Maloney, and guitarist Adam Hogan). Since then, they’ve blossomed into a powerful group whose explosive live shows have earned them a devoted following. SECOND SIGHT, Hey Rosetta!’s first album in nearly four years represents the longest musical gestation in the band’s history. In part, the delay was due to the lengthy touring cycle following the success of their last album Seeds, which was short-listed for the Polaris Music Prize, and resulted in the band’s first JUNO nomination and a performance on the JUNO telecast. Also performing will be Brooklyn-native Kevin Garrett (no, not Kevin Garnett) and local-band Going To The Sun.
Sounds Like: Dan Mangan, Joel Plaskett, Wintersleep, The Rural Alberta Advantage
WEDNESDAY: Red Desert
Veteran rockers Red Desert bring a unique and blended creation to the world of metal, combining heavy, deliberate elements of doom, the down tuned distortional fuzz of stoner rock, a unique and haunting vocal delivery, and, above all, a master craftsman’s grasp of song structure with deep, twisted, metal tapestries interwoven around soul stirring melodies of exceptional insight and dispatch. This foursome from Minnesota come at you with abiding passion, an unshakable confidence, and a fierce and joyous delivery. Steeped in the exalted, dark arts of the intense rock of decades past, the brilliance of high desert music, and the heart of an explosive new breed of rockers, Red Desert have previously crafted 2 exceptional albums and will soon drop a third. Prepare for a furious, full throttle ride as Red Desert come at you full force, no holds barred, no excuses, in a full out hard rock onslaught. Fellow locals The Wolf Council and Kult of the Wizard round out the Metal Wednesday bill.
Sounds Like: Black Sabbath, KYUSS, Pentagram, High On Fire, Clutch
THURSDAY: Diarrhea Planet | Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires
“Shred till you’re dead, or go to hell.” Diarrhea Planet is a six-piece rock and roll band from Nashville, TN. Their sound has often been described as The Ramones holding Van Halen hostage with an arsenal of fireworks and explosives. Diarrhea Planet’s four guitarists provide enough riffs to make Jack Black squeal like a schoolgirl, while lead singer Hodan delivers enough hooks to straighten the curl out of Justin Timberlake’s hair. In a world of unintelligible lo-fi recording, reverb drenched vocals, and tuneless guitars, Diarrhea Planet aims to put the backbone back into rock and roll. What awaits you when the needle drops on Dereconstructed, the new album by Lee Bains lll & the Glory Fires? Nothing less than pure fucking heaven, that’s what. Dereconstructed is a careening, road raging, all night party of a record. Informed by a distinctly southern hoodoo, it is a master class in authentic Gulf Coast choogle. Having cut his teeth in the Dexateens, Lee Bains lll has been properly schooled in how to throw down, so much so that even his hyper literate musings are no match for the blown out distortion that gives this record its blistering urgency.
Sounds Like: Bass Drum of Death, METZ, Ramones, Drive-By Truckers
FRIDAY: BNLXFest III featuring BNLX
Upon first listen, it’s immediately obvious where BNLX’s obsessions and influences lie. From the overdriven feedback fuzz that scores the record, to the epic, post-punk spirit that courses throughout, Jesus and Mary Chain and Echo and the Bunnymen are an easy reference point. But while many modern DIY projects can plug in and produce squalling reverb and angst-y vocals, in most cases the results reek of posturing and shallow imitation. BNLX, dare I say, transcend time. Special guests of Friday night include local talent The Melismatics, The Stress of Her Regard, and Stereo Confession.
Sounds Like: New Order, Sonic Youth, My Bloody Valentine
SATURDAY: Hiss Golden Messenger
M.C. Taylor—the craggy-voiced patriarch behind Hiss Golden Messenger, the country-rock ensemble he leads out of Durham, North Carolina. Lateness of Dancers is the fifth full-length album from the band. It’s an open, confident, immediate album, and it feels, at times, like a direct response to the darkness of M.C. Taylor’s last record, 2013’s Haw. Hiss Golden Messenger stretches out into the improv-rock territory of Traffic and the Grateful Dead and beyond. Touring with Hiss Golden Messenger is the talents of Phil Cook. Cook joins an exciting class of modern musicians who are carrying the torch of authentic folk music. Playing from the heart while keeping reverence for this country’s history is indelibly present in Cook’s tender and patient compositions.
Sounds Like: Wooden Wand, Strand of Oaks, Sturgill Simpson, Megafaun
SUNDAY: BAUMHAUS – A Night of Improvised Minimal Techno with TINY DEATHS + Friends (Clown Lounge)
tiny deaths will be holding court this Sunday in the Clown Lounge, making up dope dance music with their friends at an event titled “Baumhaus.” This local group is poised to be the next breakout act from Minneapolis. Sounding simultaneously 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. 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.
Sounds Like: Phantogram, Beach House
Blog by Kevin Clancy
