MONDAY: Closed for private event
TUESDAY: GLASVEGAS
2014 heralds the return of Glasvegas to North America with their critically acclaimed self-produced third studio album, Later…When the TV Turns to Static, released through BMG. The album was recorded in the band’s home town of Glasgow at Gorbals Sound and produced by lead singer and songwriter James Allan. Featuring the singles “I’d Rather Be Dead (Than Be With You)”, “If”, and the title track “Later…When the TV Turns to Static”. The album is a staggeringly emotive 45 minute sojourn through broken relationships and “the mad energy” of the world, a scorching soundscape marking a new chapter for one of the UK’s most fervently supported bands, reclaiming their independence and returning to their roots to deliver a record that chimes with the heartfelt social realism they have made their own. Glasvegas have come home, turned their eyes from the scorching light back into the shadows, where reality lies.
Recommended If You Like:
White Lies, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, British Sea Power, The Big Pink
WEDNESDAY: HELLFYRE CLUB feat. Busdriver, Nocando, Open Mike Eagle, and Milo
Hellfyre Club is an imprint of Alpha Pup Records started by Los Angeles rapper, Nocando. It is an outlet for creative music by adventurous artists. The Los Angeles rap collective Hellfyre Club is comprised of Busdriver, Nocando, Open Mike Eagle, and milo. Back in November, they released a collaborative mixtape with the controversial title Dorner Vs. Tookie. Today, they are releasing a video for “DVT,” the title song. Open Eagle Mike, Busdriver, and Nocando are joined by affiliates VerBS, Kail, and Rheteric Ramirez as they trapise through the forest, choosing to forgo political correctness as they shout out incidents such as the Newtown shooting and the Christopher Dorner manhunt, both of which happened “too soon.” The Hellfyre Club will be heading on a nationwide tour starting in February. [Complex Music]
Recommended If You Like:
Busdriver, Nocando, Open Mike Eagle, Milo, Aespop Rock, El-P, Buck 65
THURSDAY: PURPLE | RINGO DEATHSTARR
Hours could be spent debating the genre Purple falls into, but most crowds are too busy dancing to have that discussion. The three-piece band from Southeast Texas blends guitarist Taylor Busby’s melodic riffs, bassist Tyler Smith’s smooth basslines and drummer Hanna Brewer’s ferocious beats to create a sound that stands out and a stage show with more sweat than a fat kid in gym class. Brewer and Busby share vocal duties and the trio’s debut EP Violaceous was released earlier this year. When they take the stage, hold on to your shirts — people tend to lose them during their sets. [SXSW 2013]
Ringo Deathstarr are making no hesitations when it comes to checking things off their 2014 To Do List. The Austin, Texas trio will kick off the new year by both releasing God’s Dream, a 12-inch EP on Neon Sigh / Noyes Records shortly after completing a 29 date, nation wide tour. The album is set to be released on 25 March 2014. Warm guitars and pulsing drums combine to form an aggressively atmospheric bubble, encompassing the listener in an infectious cohesive which blends the sounds of an era when Sonic Youth and Jesus and Mary Chain walked the Earth with a forward thinking and creatively stubborn indie darling. Joined by Adam Franklin of Swervedriver on the track “Nowhere” and Jeff Schroeder of the Smashing Pumpkins on “Chainsaw Morning,” Ringo Deathstarr has created a flawlessly crafted sound on God’s Dream, destined and deserving to exist on vinyl. [Noyse Records]
Recommended If You Like:
The Jesus and Mary Chain, My Bloody Valentine, The Kills, White Stripes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs
FRIDAY: NOAH GUNDERSEN
Singer-songwriter Noah Gundersen has three EPs to his name — 2008’s Brand New World, 2009’s Saints and Liars, and 2011’s Family — but the 24-year-old has yet to put out a proper full-length. That’ll change on February 11, when the Washington native releases Ledges, his debut album. The upcoming LP was recorded in Seattle’s Studio Litho, the homebase of Pearl Jam guitarist Stone Gossard, and was crafted with the help of Gundersen’s sister, Abby (who supplies violin, cello, and piano), and his younger brother, Jonathan, who plays drums. Ledges spans 11 tender tracks and weaves together tales of faith, temptation, redemption, death, and doubt, offering the kind of perspective usually found in much older tunesmiths. “I’m not a religious person anymore,” says Gundersen, who grew up in a rigidly religious household. “But I’ve learned that spiritual energy transcends religion and that’s something I’ve attempted to incorporate into my music.” [Spin]
Recommended If You Like:
Fleet Foxes, Devil Makes Three, Gregory Alan Isakov, The White Buffalo, Shakey Graves
SATURDAY: THIS MUST BE THE BAND | DJ NoDJ
“This Must Be the Band” is Chicago’s only and therefore best Talking Heads Tribute Band […] This Must Be the Band has two main dishes on their menu: the first is a succulent “All-Request Show,” with a generous helping of audience partici- pation, flavored slightly by improvisation. The second is the hailed “Stop Making Sense Re-Creation,” where the band performs note-for-note and prop-for-prop the famous Talking Heads concert film from 1984. For three years running, the band has performed this show to a sold-out crowd at the Vic Theatre and Park West in Chicago. This Must be the Band is extremely happy to play Talking Heads music night after night because the music is just that much fun. Not only has the lead singer (Charlie Otto) been called “the illegitimate son of David Byrne,” but the band boasts its very own Tina Weymouth (Jamie Jay), Bernie Worrell (Matt Gunsaulus), Adrian Belew (Otto), and Ednah Holt (Kasey Foster).
DJ noDJ is a thousand-piece electronic dance band from Chicago. We specialize in re-creating the music of the best DJ’s with “startling inefficiency.” There is no DJ in this band. What normally takes just 1 guy behind a lap top, now takes ten super-focused DJ noDJ musicians. The upside is that you get a 10 dimensional musical experience, with all the churning and grinding of a runaway train, that only a large group of separate humans can achieve. DJ noDJ hit for the first time in May of 2012, playing two nights of a 40 minute Daft Punk set to two sold out crowds at Martyrs’ in Chicago. We feature all the members of This Must be the Band [Talking Heads tribute], plus Alan Berliant (Mavis Staples) on bass. He’s the greatest.
Recommended If You Like:
Talking Heads, Tom Tom Club, David Byrne, Daft Punk, Deadmaus, Justice
SUNDAY: GARDENS & VILLA
Gardens & Villa’s second album, Dunes, is out now on Secretly Canadian. The five members of the band, Adam Rasmussen, Chris Lynch, Dusty Ineman, Levi Hayden and Shane McKillop, left their hometown and base of sunny Santa Barbara to record with Tim Goldsworthy (Cut Copy, DFA Records, Hercules & Love Affair) at Key Club, a converted locksmith’s building in Benton Harbor, MI. Ripped out of their usual environment into a cold midwestern locale, the band finds a new voice on Dunes. The band brings their catchy rhythms and bold synth lines from previous records but continues developing a richer sound now experimenting with unique gear including Sly Stone’s custom-built Flickinger recording console and direction from Goldsworthy.
Recommended If You Like:
MGMT, Yeasayer, Suckers, Future Islands, Lord Huron, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.
