Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Roots Local Journal: Corner Wine Bar's Open Stage
Posted by Grant Catton on Wed, Aug 31, 2011 at 5:15 AM
On a cool Sunday evening in Indianapolis, with a chill in the air presaging autumn, I found myself headed up to the Corner Wine Bar to catch their weekly Open Stage night. The audience on Sunday was a little bit sparse compared to other open stage nights that I’ve seen there in the past. On Sundays in the winter, it seems like you can barely ever get a seat in Corner Wine Bar’s cozy little basement unless you drop by at or before 6:30 p.m., when the event begins.
“It seems like at the end of every season — especially summer— there’s a tapering-off of attendance,” Gary Wasson, the official M.C. of the Corner Wine Bar’s open stage night and a former member of roots bands Sindacato and Spud Puppies, told me. Wasson has been organizing open stage nights in the Indy area for the past 20 years. He noted that as fall arrives the Sunday night audience will return, as it does every year.
Wasson pointed around the room, introducing the various attendees, all of whom he seemed to know, and all of whom seemed to be regulars of not only the Corner Wine Bar’s open stage but of the open stage “circuit” in general over the past twenty years. And almost all of them, at least on Sunday, seemed to have history together.
Performing on Sunday were professional musicians like John Barney, a veteran of the local scene who performs regularly with his band The Passengers. There were also guys like Keith Hughes, Pat Brearton, and “Junkbox Mike," all old friends who’ve been playing music together (and solo) for years. Another regular to perform Sunday was John Newton, owner of Indy Hostel.
There were also newcomers like Cindy Ebberts, who delivered a moving set of a cappella folk songs that had a kind of plaintive, old-Irish quality to them. Ebberts, who said she recently started performing as the result of a promise to a friend who passed away this summer, left the stage to an encouraging round of applause from the regular attendees.
Walking back to my car that evening I could hear live music coming from at least two other places. For a moment it seemed like I could be on a street in a place like Nashville or Austin, with live music coming out of every other bar, beckoning people inside. And there is something comforting about knowing, even on a late-summer Sunday in Indy, musicians of all levels are out there doing what they do for whomever wants to drop by and listen.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Jazz & Blues On the road: Bean Blossom Blues Fest
Posted by Lora Olive on Tue, Aug 30, 2011 at 2:50 PM
Slideshow
Bean Blossom Blues Fest
Aug. 27
Nothing but the Blues describes the "The Bean," the three-day Bean Blossom Blues Fest now in its 13th year. It was our first time there, but it didn't take long to meet some wildly-enthusiastic fans who've never missed a year. Like "Pegleg," but we'll get to that story later.
Ask any biker in the tri-state area the way to Bean Blossom and they'll likely have detailed directions. It's the home of the "Boogie" — aka the Bean Blossom Biker Fest — and the world-famous Bill Monroe Bluegrass Festival. Drive south from Indianapolis on I-135, and as soon as the land goes from straight flat to rolling hills and winding roads, you'll know you're getting close.
We kicked off Saturday afternoon at the advanced harmonica workshop led by RJ Mischo on the Hippy Hill Stage, a tiny spot nestled in the woods. It was named after the hippies who used to camp there in the 60's and 70's, and I swear you could still smell the patchouli oil.
Mischo's workshop had the feel of a master player sitting on the front porch trading licks with a gang of serious musicians. They talked of "overblows" and a bunch of technical stuff we didn't understand. But it felt like we were hearing the blues in its simplest, purest form, just harmonica and sometimes guitar, in a rustic setting.
Back to the big stage, still small by big city standards, which Bloomington's Below Zero Blues Band was commanding with smoldering, swampy blues hits like "Bring it on Home" and "Baby Scratch My Back," their sound matching gritty vocals with "Stevie Ray" guitar.
We missed the WT Feaster Band — but hey, catch them at the Rib America Fest this weekend.
The Max Allen Band was next, with a high-energy funky, jazz, rock sound that's at least partly rooted in the blues. Then RJ Mischo was back, this time with his Red Hot Blues Band from Minneapolis.
Now back to Pegleg, aka Dennis Fuel, a blues lover who passed away a few months before this year's festival. John Hall, founder of the blues fest, held a dedication ceremony for Pegleg during the fest, scattering his friend's ashes from the stage and asking for a moment of silence while a friend rode Pegleg's Harley through the audience.
"Here's a guy that loves the music, the people and loves the fun," Hall said from the stage. "Here are Dennis's remains; lets have a funeral."
We only came for the day — but to get the feel for this festival, stay at the campgrounds. That's where the fun is: the campfire jams, the cookouts, the log cabins housing blues jams lasting well into the night.
Video premiere: Kate Lamont, "All Summer"
Posted by Scott Shoger on Tue, Aug 30, 2011 at 1:45 PM
We're pleased to give you a first look at the new video for Kate Lamont's song "All Summer."
Here's the director, Jace, on the concept behind the video, shot in Clermont, Ind., on Aug. 7: "I wanted to capture the essence of summer — vibrant colors, beautiful sky. I knew the video had to have a lot of energy and motion to realize that concept. To do that, I threw balloons in the mix."
"All Summer" is drawn from a three-song collection produced by Devon Ashley and currently available via Bandcamp.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Rock Review: Ghostland Observatory at IMS
Posted by Danielle Look on Mon, Aug 29, 2011 at 3:08 PM
Ghostland Observatory
Aug. 27, Indianapolis Motor Speedway
3.5 stars
“Daddy’s here, baby. Don’t worry.”
The words dripped from the lips of Aaron Behrens, one-half of electro-rock band Ghostland Observatory. The band had only just begun its headlining set at IMS After Dark (a speedway-sponsored night of live music coinciding with the Indianapolis GP) when electricity on the stage cut out.
After the brief outage, the duo returned to the stage, and Behrens eclipsed the technical difficulties with a little sweet talk — including his "Daddy's here" line.
And all was well — that is, until the electricity went out again, this time for a much longer period (about 10 or 12 minutes). As time wore on, the already-sparse crowd got even lighter as attendees lost hope and walked away.
When the band finally returned, Behrens got real with the crowd: “One thing you’ve got to understand is that wasn’t our fault.” He continued by thanking all in attendance for their patience and understanding.
Ghostland gave their all for the remainder of the performance. Caped beat-maker Thomas Ross Turner was vocally silent the entire show but stayed active on his riser, operating drums, keys, and synthesizer effects. A friend of mine accurately likened Behrens’s high-pitched punky vocals to that of Mars Volta vocalist Omar Rodriguez Lopez.
When he wasn’t singing, Behrens had a guitar in his hands, and frequently got lost in lengthy, intensely concentrated solos. Despite violent head-shaking and hair tossing, Behrens’s solid black shades never once fell from his temples.
Highlights from the band’s musical repertoire came in waves. An early performance of “Glitter” channeled the band's glam streak, pumping up fans prior to the electricity outage. Once the stage was running again, an extended, voiceless jam gave way to “Sad, Sad City."
The concert’s final song opened with a by-then familiar robotic voice repeating the phrase “Kick clap speaker” atop a delicate piano line before a booming electro-house beat kicked in and the crowd erupted in a jumping frenzy.
The concert ended abruptly, with the small remainder of the crowd begging for an encore. There was none, and just minutes after stagehands began to tear down, lingering bodies were shooed away by police and security.
Rock Review: Sleeping Bag at White Rabbit
Posted by Grant Catton on Mon, Aug 29, 2011 at 1:10 PM
Aug. 26, White Rabbit Cabaret
Four stars
The latest rock and roll success story to come out of Bloomington is Sleeping Bag, a trio of young cats whose highly-sophisticated re-interpretation of mid-'90s alternative angst has earned them glimmers of serious national attention. On Friday night this rising regional act put their new album on show for a bar full of eager fans, with local acts Everything Now!, DMA, and The Kemps rounding out the bill.
It was the second to last night of the band's 16-day tour, which wrapped up the following night in Bloomington. According to drummer and lead singer Dave Segedy, the band arrived home from Thursday night’s show in Knoxville at the crack of dawn Friday morning, and some of them had to work on Friday. But that didn’t stop them from putting on a great show.
Sleeping Bag opened with the fast-paced, low-end heavy “Desker,” on which guitarist Lewis Rogers — the youngster of the band, at 21 — showed his exuberance, taking some really interesting guitar explorations and bopping frenetically on stage, almost defying the band’s studied cool. Shortly after, the band played “Slime,” perhaps the best-known song from the album. Up next was “Rental,” a definite crowd-pleaser with a gritty, sternum-rattling guitar riff and a jarring bass line (played by David Woodruff) that includes a melodic, two-part harmony almost reminiscent of a Mentos commercial.
Another crowd favorite was “Ben,” which opens with Segedy’s lithe vocals and a swinging sort of beat, before evolving into a thumping chorus that includes the catchy and inscrutable lyric “I’m not that kind of a Christian, I’m not that kind of a Lutheran, it’s not that kind of a question.” The band wrapped up a few songs later with, quite appropriately, the last track on the album, “Another Time,” which lays a kind of sugary, post-punk vocal harmony over a pure-alt beat and guitar sequence.
Opening up for Sleeping Bag was a cast of characters including Indy-based experimental/garage band Everything Now!, who have recently released an album of their own. One highlight was their rendition of “The Shelter,” from their 2008 album Spatially Severed.
DMA (David “Moose” Adamson), formerly of Jookabox fame, played next. The one-man show used a guitar and a synth to loop his own hooks and beats for a quirky, heavily-electronic, sometimes robotic-sounding performance, with songs like “I Like Having Fun” inducing laughs and cheers of recognition from the crowd.
Indy-based garage rockers The Kemps closed out the night, keeping with the custom that a local band play last at the White Rabbit. One of the most exciting bands to come out of the Fountain Square scene, The Kemps have asound that’s almost a throwback to the early days of punk — kind of like the Black Lips, but even grittier and more raw. If what you like is balls-to-the-wall rock and roll, I highly suggest catching these guys live very soon.
Rock / Roots Roots/Rock: The Dead Hearts, Henry French
Posted by Rob Nichols on Mon, Aug 29, 2011 at 7:34 AM
They have a new EP out, written by guitarist/vocalist Brandon P. Perry. The band was formed in April 2011, and includes Perry, Joe Franz on bass, Marc Mahan on drums and Brian Gropp playing keyboards.
Audio: "Bad for You"
***
We mentioned Andrew Bean was working with cellist Grover Parido, laying down some tracks a couple weeks ago. We now have word that seven tunes were recorded, the EP will be available for free and contains three covers and four originals of Andrew's including a remake of "Good Morning Love". Stay tuned...
The tracks are:
"Good Morning Love"
"Mercy Me"
"Summers in the City"
"Island of Ships"
"Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" - U2
"The Waiting" - Tom Petty
"Angel From Montgomery" - John Prine
***
The Indigo Girls have set an October 4th release date for their fourteenth studio album, Beauty Queen Sister.
The new album is a 13-song collection recorded in Nashville. The duo reunited with producer Peter Collins, with whom the Indigo Girls worked on 1992's Rites of Passage and 1994's Swamp Ophelia.
***
Rock and funk icon has Sly Stone has released I’m Back: Family and Friends. Remakes include Jeff Beck’s contribution to “(I Want to Take You) Higher” ; Bootsy Collins’ bass contributions to “Hot Fun”; and the Doors’ Ray Manzarek on “Dance to the Music.” Other than those appearance, Stone played all of the instruments himself.
“Plain Jane,” is a previously unheard Stone composition, is a nasty funk. “His Eye is on the Sparrow,” is a traditional hymn, and “Get Away,” reminds of “Family Affair”
Rock Neon Love Life's video love letter to Indy
Posted by Paul F. P. Pogue on Mon, Aug 29, 2011 at 7:11 AM
Neon Love Life | Love Control from Mays Entertainment, LLC on Vimeo.
Neon Love Life is quickly establishing a reputation as one of the coolest bands in the city. Matt Mays long ago established himself as one of Indianapolis’ most talented filmmakers and video directors. A team-up between the two was inevitable, and produced appropriately high-quality results in the video for Neon Love Life’s “Love Control,” which is a gleeful, low-budget love letter to music and unabashed emotion that’s nonetheless as polished as anything you’ll ever see in this city:
Last year, when I first wrote about Neon Love Life, I tried to compare them to certain musical icons. I believe the video supports my characterization one hundred percent.
Lindsay Manfredi: 1990s alt-rock frontwoman
Sharon Rickson: 1970s garage-band rocker
Tasha Blackman: Animal from the Muppets
Ashley Plummer: Jimmy Page
For those who don’t know me, rest assured that these are all presented in the most positive possible manner. Even the Muppet thing. Okay, ESPECIALLY the Muppet thing.
Anyway, this is as good a time as any to mention that Neon Love Life debuts their first album, “Tuesday Night,” Friday, Sept. 2 at Radio Radio. Get your butt out there, as there is not possibly anything more awesome going on in this city that night.
Friday, August 26, 2011
Roots Review: Langhorne Slim at Radio Radio
Posted by Micah Ling on Fri, Aug 26, 2011 at 3:24 PM
Aug. 26, Radio Radio
3.5 stars
Summer is still alive for a few more weeks, and people were wearing it well — cute dresses, stylish short-sleeves —at Radio Radio Thursday night. Things began on time, and they moved right along — there was hardly a lull, if even enough time to get a fresh drink between acts.
John Henry & The Engine started the night off, followed by Chad Mills & The Upright Willies, who covered Tom Waits’ “Make it Rain.” Mills had the energy of a locomotive. But, if that’s true, then Langhorne Slim was a jet plane; or, a swarm of jet planes.
Slim was wearing a suit vest, cut-off work pants, a handkerchief — tied cops-n-robbers-style around his neck — and cowboy boots. He’s like a big kid, really, but he could save his life with that voice. There were the usual sound glitches, but Slim played it off like it was only making the night better: “Technical difficulties aside, let’s party.”
And he did—everyone did. He jammed out high-energy versions of “Cut it Down,” “Mary,” “Worries,” and “Diamonds and Gold.” He preached that song: “It’s alright to get a little happy along the way.” Slim comes off as desperate, even on his albums, but at Radio Radio, it may as well have been his last show, and he was pleading for every song.
The place wasn’t packed, but somehow that made it seem like the crowd was in on something that should be kept secret. He prematurely promised, “Alright ladies and gentlemen, this’ll be it, so let’s freak out.” But then he went on to play three more, including “If It’s True,” with half of the crowd on stage.
Indianapolis’ own Rev. Peyton was standing by for the whole show, which suggested that Langhorne Slim is doing something unique enough to demand the attention of everyone. He can cover Leonard Cohen; he can knock his own hat off in every song; he can enter the audience and jump up onto his amp.
This guy certainly must have caused some antics as a child. He’s got kind of a tinny voice when he thanks the crowd for the hundredth time, and you have to realize that he should just never stop singing. He’s wild, for sure, and seemingly unstoppable.
Jazz & Blues Review: End Times Spasm Band, Irene & Reed
Posted by Paul F. P. Pogue on Fri, Aug 26, 2011 at 2:15 PM
The End Times Spasm Band, Irene & Reed
Aug. 26, White Rabbit Cabaret
Four stars
Visions from another era filled the White Rabbit Cabaret Thursday night, courtesy of two bands perfectly suited for White Rabbit’s bar-that-time-forgot feel. Indy's own Irene & Reed, followed by Ft. Wayne’s End Times Spasm Band, exist in that fedora-and-opera-gloves ideaspace that’s equal parts classy and seedy — they're the kind of bands you might see at the beginning of a mob movie playing the high-end bar while the snitches are getting beat up out back.
Irene and Reed — erstwhile NUVOite (and former coworker of mine) Leslie Benson and onetime Form 30/Nimbus member Jason Milner and friends — is very much a 1950s torch-song piano band. Milner keeps his head down, obscured by fedora, as he thunders away at the keyboard, while Benson plays the frontwoman, a femme fatale caressing the mike as she croons away soul-searching lyrics and weaves tales of loss and hope.
End Times Spasm Band aren’t kidding with that name. With their manic take on 1920s couture, they’re like a gang of libertine flappers straight from the cast of Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? Lead singer Lyndsy Rae Patterson is a spitfire, a ball of energy endlessly prancing and kickstepping across the stage in a crazed fusion of jazz moll and rag doll puppet with half her strings cut off. And a washboard with a cymbal. You know, because.
But stagecraft aside, this is a seriously tight outfit that can make the harmony of guitar, bass, drum and, erm, kazoo make sense. Rae absolutely nails the jazz-age falsetto; she sounds like she should be coming out of a slightly scratching Edison phonograph.
The name is more apt than it may seem at first. It’s chipper stuff, relentlessly happy and upbeat, but reminiscent of a time when the world really was ending and the only way to stay sane was to celebrate the moment.
“This just in: you only live once!” Rae exhorted the crowd as midnight approached. “So if you wanna dance, go for it, and if you wanna holler, now’s the time!”
Rock Review: Elsinore, Accordions at Rock Lobster
Posted by Grant Catton on Fri, Aug 26, 2011 at 11:00 AM
Next up was Champaign, Ill.-based Elsinore, a quartet touring on the heels of the release of their EP “Life Inside an Elephant.” Playing after Hot Fox, these guys had a cleaner, more straight-forward, power-pop kind of feel, making good use of the keyboard. Led by the long-haired and highly-skilled showman Ryan Groff, Elsinore delivered about a half-dozen short tracks, including several from the new EP: the title track; “The General." The soulful, haunting “The Thermostat, the Telephone,” from an earlier release, also stood out. These guys play heavy on the low end, while keeping the pace up-speed and allowing Groff’s vocals to take center stage. They closed their set with a cover of Joy Division’s “Love Will Tear Us Apart,” taking the '80s classic and making it their own while still delivering the goods.
Rounding out the night was Indy-based Accordions, led by frontman Ben Bernthal variously on the auto-harp and ukulele. Combining the auto-harp with an electric bass, guitar, and drums gives this band a really dramatic sound, with pace changes and vocal harmonies that carry an epic quality. Accordions are operating on a pretty sophisticated level, experimenting with odd instrumentation, time signatures and a cappella interludes. However, the nuances of Bernthal's lyrics were drowned out for some reason, which tended to take away from the gravity of the otherwise innovative and engaging performance.
