Backseat Sandbar

My Disco (second album engineered by Steve Albini),  Young Widows, and Phantom Family Halo are kicking off a mid-west tour March 9 at Vernon Club. $7. 18+. 8 p.m. Get ready for a sick show.

Here are some Karate Body related upcoming shows this month:

Nov. 2: eremy*JIrvin w/ Zee Avi @ Zanzabar. JIrvin’s exclusive track, “On My Own” appears on Vol. 9 of Louisville Is For Lovers. Copies of the limited edition red and white double vinyl available from karatebodyrecords.com.

Nov. 6: The Fervor w/ Smug Brothers @ Zanzabar. The Fervor’s new song, “No Apology” appears on The Green Belt limited edition split 7-inch, available now from us, ear X-tacy and Underground Sounds. Copies will be for sale at this show. Smug Brothers features former members of Guided By Voices. 9 p.m. $6.

Nov. 14: Wussy @ Headliners (Dare To Care Food-raiser). Chuck Cleaver and Lisa Walker open the show. Wussy’s exclusive track “Fly Fly Fly” appears on The Green Belt split 7-inch. Harper Simon and Company of Thieves also perform.

Nov. 14: Joe Manning @ Rudyard Kipling. Manning’s new song, “Lately at A Lesser Table” appears on The White Belt split 7-inch with riverboat soul provider Pokey LaFarge. Manning appears at The Rudyard Kipling alongside Scott Carney and Sardren Wells. It also happens to be Ken Pyle’s 69th birthday.

Nov. 20: Phantom Family Halo @ Zanzabar. Phantom Family Halo’s double LP Monoliths & These Flowers Never Die is out now, and available from us, ear X-tacy and Underground Sounds. The band hits the road for a tour of the east coast and Canada Nov. 27 with Russian Circles and fellow Louisvillians Young Widows. NOTE: Each double LP comes with a free download card of the entire Phantom Family Halo album.

I was in Underground Sounds the other day and Phantom Family Halo’s new album Monoliths & These Flowers Never Die was playing.  I didn’t recognize it at first, but what I heard was epic.   Every track seemed lifted from a timeless album that changed music, but in a mirror reflecting PFH’s own image.  It’s messy, its distorted, it’s trippy, it’s perfect.  I’ve seen them a number of times in the past and I’ve always been a fan, but this album has taken them to a whole new level for me.  The album throws pretension and convention out the window and does whatever the fuck it wants.  Fast, slow, melodic, electric, old, new, hard, soft…they do it all at their pace, not yours.  White Stripes, Velvet Underground?  I raise my head and wonder if I’m listening to the same album, only to be reassured that, yes, it is still PFH.  Get a taste of the album below, but you MUST listen to this WHOLE album.  It’s one of my favorite albums of the year.  No question. Take notice.

On a related note, Karate Body Records is KILLING IT!! Let’s review:  This album (a beautiful 2xLP), Bonnie Billy and Cheyenne Mize (10″ Cream), Louisville is For Lovers Vol. 9 (Pink/White mix), Ben Sollee (White LP), Rachel Grimes (w/ Sheet Music), Wussy/The Fervor (Green Vinyl), Ume EP (Gold vinyl), Pokey LaFarge & Joe Manning 7″ (heavy as hell white vinyl)… It’s all ridiculously awesome and I can’t get enough of it.

Phantom Family Halo will open for Russian Circles and Young Widows on the following tour dates:

FRI NOV 27 – Detroit MI, Magic Stick
SAT NOV 28 – Buffalo, NY Soundlab
MON NOV 30 – Milford CT, Daniel Street
TUE Dec 1 – New York NY, Bowery Ballroom
WED DEC 2 – Cambridge MA, The Middle East
THU DEC 3 – Washington DC, DC9
FRI DEC 4 – Philadelphia PA, First Unitarian Church
SUN DEC 6 – Montreal QC, Il Motore
MON DEC 7 – Toronto ON, Lee’s Place
WED DEC 9 – Kalamazoo MI, The Strut
THU DEC 10 – Cleveland OH, The Grog Shop
FRI DEC 11- Louisville, Kentucky, Skull Alley

Also:

PFH’s double LP Monoliths & These Flowers Never Die is out now and you can get it online at Karate Body or at a fine record store near you.  Mark it down: Their record release show will be Nov. 25 in Louisville at Lisa’s Oak Street Lounge with Softcheque. Cost is $5.

Phantom Family Halo – Blackouts and Runaways
Phantom Family Halo – Alive and Well

Photo via The Decibel Tolls

I just saw Softcheque play at Rock the Whole Lot and was blown away.  I can’t believe that I haven’t heard this band yet, but better late than never.  Softcheque is driven by its two female singers with absolutely enchanting voices and supplemented with a mellow drone of keys and percussion.  Immediately, Bat for Lashes came to mind and the similarities are scary.  Each combine hypnotizing vocals with a dark and eerie journey sound.  Keep on on on this group, they have a ton of talent and will win you over after a single song.  You can catch them at Phantom Family Halo’s album releases party at the Z bar on October 17th.  Check out a video from their show at DCE below (via The Decibel Tolls)…

Phantom Family Halo will open for Russian Circles and Young Widows on the following tour dates:

FRI NOV 27 – Detroit MI, Magic Stick
SAT NOV 28 – Buffalo, NY Soundlab
MON NOV 30 – Milford CT, Daniel Street
TUE Dec 1 – New York NY, Bowery Ballroom
WED DEC 2 – Cambridge MA, The Middle East
THU DEC 3 – Washington DC, DC9
FRI DEC 4 – Philadelphia PA, First Unitarian Church
SUN DEC 6 – Montreal QC, Il Motore
MON DEC 7 – Toronto ON, Lee’s Place
WED DEC 9 – Kalamazoo MI, The Strut
THU DEC 10 – Cleveland OH, The Grog Shop
FRI DEC 11- Louisville, Kentucky, Skull Alley

Also:

Pre-order PFH’s double LP Monoliths & These Flowers Never Die now at Karate Body. Mark it down: Their record release show will be Nov. 25 in Louisville at Lisa’s with Softcheque.

Monoliths & These Flowers Never Die
Double vinyl gatefold LP and digital formats
Coming Oct. 6
Cover artwork: Derrick Snodgrass

No clue how this whole album sounds, but I’ve been a big fan of PFH and what Karate Body Records has been putting out.  You can pick up a copy HERE when it releases in October.

You can listen to a two track preview here.

Thursday, April 23rd
Glassworks Rooftop
www.louisvilleglassworks.com
815 W. Market St.

Young Widows
www.myspace.com/youngwidows

Cheer-Accident
www.cheer-accident.com

Phantom Family Halo
www.myspace.com/thephantomfamilyhalo

**EARLY SHOW**
Doors at 7 P.M.
Show at 7:30 P.M.
*The show will begin promptly at 7:30 P.M. and end before 11 P.M.*

$7 – proceeds will benefit Ohio Valley Creative Energy www.ovceart.org

All Ages
(Cash Bar with I.D.)

(If the weather is bad, the show will be moved inside Glassworks)

In the first installment of our “Take Five for Kentucky” series, Dominic Cipolla of Louisville-based Phantom Family Halo (and Dead Child), took five and answered some questions for us regarding Phantom Family Halo’s roots here in Louisville. Phantom Family Halo’s debut album, Legend of Black Six, was released on Cold Sweat (Battles, Dead Child, Coliseum) last year (check out Black River). We saw PFH at the Pour Haus for the Louisville is for Lovers show and when they opened for Black Mountain at Headliners. You can see them here in Louisville on May 31at Headliners with Mudhoney and Easy Action. Here is his response…

Questions

1. What neighborhood did you grow up in?

The majority of the group grew up in the highlands, a couple of us are from Indiana.

2. When did you start playing together? Did you have a different band name?

Me and Michael McMahan were in a band together about ten years ago called Blindive that turned into Starkiller a few years later,that broke up and we started the Phantom Family Halo in it’s aftermath.

3. First show you played in Kentucky?

I think the first Phantom Family Halo show was a instore at Ear x-tacy. I just remember it being a very uncomfortable, bright enviroment…First show in Louisville when I was about 15 was with Blindive at The Machine in St.Mathews, now lazer blaze or something like that. I remember about ten bands playing…the only bands I can remember being there were, Erchint, Deadbolt, Son of Dog. We were kind of a metal band so our hair was long and everyone made fun of us…shouted lynard skynard remarks at us.

4. First show outside of Kentucky…how did you book it?

First show for Phantom Family Halo outside of Kentucky was I think in Bloomington with Tara Jane O’Neil at The Hospital but I could be wrong and I think she booked it.

5. Favorite Kentucky band (other than yours)?

EVERGREEN!!

Next Week Dawn Landes Takes Five for Kentucky.

Horsehead Nebula, Bad Blood, and Rude Weirdo are playing a free show (although I’ve also seen $5) at Cahoots this Saturday, April 5th.

UPDATE: Looks like I might have jumped the gun….PFH was previously listed, but it appears that its going to be Horsehead Nebula, Bad Blood, and Rude Weirdo…not Phantom Family Halo….but Horsehead Nebula is pretty close).

The much talked-about Dead Child are playing Cahoots on April 11th to celebrate their April 8th release of “Attack“, their debut album. Dead Child consists of Dave Pajo (Slint, Tortoise, Stereolab, Royal Trux), Dominic Cipolla (Phantom Family Halo), Tony Bailey (Crain, Phantom Family Halo), Michael McMahan (Slint reunion) and Todd Cook (Crain, Slint reunion), and they received a lot of buzz recently when Velocity did an article on them, asking whether they can change how Louisville feels about Metal…

That doesn’t go over well in a city that has such a strong metal and hardcore foundation. I don’t blame the band though, as they never said there wasn’t a scene here…but I think the Velocity needs to do its research before making statements like that. Maybe visit thte 502Board every now and again and see if there is a metal scene in Louisville….

The April 11th show costs $5

Black Mountain endured through Kentucky’s “State of Emergency” snow storm on Friday night to deliver an impressive performance at Louisville’s Headliners Music Hall. The kids should be used to the snow though, being based out of Vancouver, BC & just a few hours from the Canadian Rockies, I’m sure this isn’t the first time they’ve had to weather a storm to get to a show on time. Bon Iver wasn’t so lucky, or rather I guess it was us who were the unlucky ones, because he got stuck in Ohio. A lot of people I spoke with in the crowd were pretty upset as Bon Iver was the one they were mainly coming to see. I admit that even I am more familiar with Bon Iver’s “For Emma, Forever Ago” & was really looking forward to his set, but the show was great nevertheless. The delay forced Phantom Family Halo to go on a little later than anticipated, around 9:45-10.

Phantom Family Halo played a really strong punk-inspired psychedelic indie rock set. I was mentioning to friends before the show the awe-inspiring performance of drummer Tony Bailey (of Dead Child & perhaps more familiarly, Cahoots) from the Louisville is for Lovers showcase. Friday’s performance was on par, if not a little stronger. At one point, he nearly knocked over his entire kit and eventually did actually bang a cymbal right off of its stand. He couldn’t manage to keep hold of the drums sticks though as he dropped them 2-3 times & I doubt it was nerves. Behind them was a video projection screen on which a mostly peaceful video was displayed & while I really enjoyed the video to the music, it ended up being quite distracting. The biggest distraction was the presence of captions, which pulled the audiences attention away from the performance. All in all, the set was strong & I continue to highly encourage my friends to jump on the Phantom Family Halo bandwagon. I was disappointed to hear so many people from Louisville asking who they were…I can only hope as strong an impression was made on them as it was on me for the first time seeing them.

Next up was Black Mountain. Black Mountain could have been the soundtrack to Dazed & Confused…a quintessential 70s psychedelic rock band, whose influences by Sabbath, Zeppelin, Hendrix are not hidden, but wasn’t shoved down your throat either as many similar bands do. Everything about this band & crowd that follows them screams stoner band. I say that without meaning it to be associated with any negative (or positive) connotations that it might carry…only for what it is. Beyond the music, it was evident from the stage smoke, the hippie dancing and the distinct smell of the ingredient itself diffusing through the crowd.

Nevertheless, front-woman Amber Webber gave us a lesson in vocals while Stephen McBean (of Pink Mountaintops) taught us how classic rockers rock. Never was that more true than during Evil Ways…far & away my favorite of the night. Very funky & the crowd absolutely loved it as they danced their hearts out in hippie dance fashion. During the song, one of the strings had come loose, so Stephen just ripped it off…something about how he did that was just hardcore…the crowd loved it. Seeing a band have such a complete kick-back to the 70s, but to be able to do it in a while that is distinctly their own at the same time is rare. There aren’t many psych rock bands in the world as convincing or powerful as Black Mountain.

The first set closed with Bright Lights which was the epitome of a stoner rock song. I honestly hate using the tagline for them, only its so fitting. I enjoyed the mechanics of this song though, because there were four distinct parts. Part 1 bored me to tears as it was more or less a repetitive chant of “Bright Lights”. Part 2 was what the kids came to see…a pure jam. Part 3 was an incredibly awkward interlude, leading up to the final portion of the song which essentially rocked my face off.

Setlist:
Stormy
Angels
Queens
Wucan
Tyrants
Druganaut
Stay Free
Evil Ways
Bright Lights

Phantom Family Halo – Black River
Black Mountain – Stay Free
Black Mountain – Angels
Black Mountain – Tyrants (Video from Louisville Headliners Music Hall)

For loads more pictures, (more…)

Louisville is for Lovers was this past Friday at the Pour Haus. I was taking the experience to just enjoy the show, rather than to consciously review it while I was there. Nevertheless, the line-up was very impressive. I’d gotten there for the first act, but missed his name. I was incredibly impressed, because I absolutely love the DIY style he played. He played half standing, half kneeling while pressing buttons and levers to create an absolute sonic wave of sound that was both beautiful and introspective. He would play a note, then get down to set the loop and sample rates. It was really great to hear, and while I thought it was great to watch, I would imagine the presentation aspect of the show bored some others. That said, it was true DIY & I really enjoyed it.

Next up was Chemic, who played very nice indie pop love songs that was perfect for the Valentine’s weekend occasion. I feel bad for not having much to say about these guys, because I really did enjoy their performance, but while I love simple indie pop love songs, I don’t have a lot of words to say about it. I missed the next band, but made it back in time for One Small Step. One Small Step has a bit of DIY feel to them as well, playing several samples & combining loads sof instruments as the multitalents Jess sat on her cinder block and played a variety of things & Pawl kept everyone together on bass. I hadn’t appreciated it before, but I feel a good deal of pop punk influence in OSS because of the level of energy and brevity of their songs. That thought gave me a whole new appreciation for their music & I have to reaffirm my recommendation in taking the time out to catch them next time they’re playing.

After One Small Step was The Mack. These guys played one of Nick’s favorite songs from the latest Louisville is for Lovers compilation, so I was excited to hear them live. They played more or less a blend of alt-country with a bit of indie rock flare. One of the highlights of the entire night for me was when Jeff called up one of his friends and they did a few songs, including a cover of Turn on Your Lovelight by the Grateful Dead. They took the track and really made it their own, which I really appreciated, although I guess a song that changes and evolves as much as that one has, who knows what a faithful reproduction would even be.

The clear crowd favorites that finally got the crowd to stand up and move forward were the Phantom Family Halo. Their drummer, Tony Bailey, really impressed me. Although the guys were having sound woes with the sound man, their drummer banged banged banged on those drums unlike anything I was set to see. He was a beast, just destroying those things and it was incredible to see. The band itself was really fun to watch and played a pretty impressive kind of indie rock that I could see on Pitchfork as easy as the next band that makes it on to its radar. I’ve been looking forward to the chance to get to see all of these bands, and it was a wonderful testament to our music scene and how close we are…

For loads more photos, (more…)

February is just around the bend, so start getting ready for the next installment of the Louisville is for Lovers‘ annual music compilation (set for release on February 5th).  Check out the, very impressive, list of contributors to this year’s CD below.  To celebrate, there is a CD release party scheduled for Friday, February 15th at The Pour Haus.  Phantom Family Halo and One Small Step are scheduled to play, but expect more.  The cost of the show is only $5.  Bring a date in the Valentine’s Day spirit.

About the series (they say it best):

“louisville is for lovers is an annual compilation of louisville bands playing love songs and is released in febuary. the first one was released in 2001 and we are about to release our 8th (feb 5th). each volume is pressed in editions of 500 and hand packaged and individually numbered. over the years we have worked many types of artists including: my morning jacket, bonnie billy,black cross,elliott, starkiller, ronnie mack, papa m, jason loenstien, shipping news, lucky pineapple, the phantom family halo, the slow break, ultapulverize, love jones, joe manning, and many more…”

VOL. 8 TRACK LIST:

1. Axel, “Bulldozer”
   
2. Chemic, “Master’s House”
   
3. Surplus Elks, “If You Never Show”
4. Tamara Dearing, “Give it Away”
5. Love Cartel, “You Belong to Me”
6. The Mack, “A Lover for the Night”
7. Warlock, Head and Gristle, “That’s How It Goes (when all your friends are crows)”
8. One Small Step, “Thanksgiving (no ware)”
9. Whistle Peak, “Souvenir”
   
10. Saredren Wells, “Why Didn’t Someone Tell Me?”
    
11. Bonnie “Prince” Billy, “Get Your Hands Dirty”
12. Pure Dirt, “Life of a Rose”
13. Big Time Band, “Part Time Preacher”
14. Phantom Family Halo, “Young Lovers and People Who Die”
15. Gallery Singers, “Jets and Sunshine”
16. Boundless and Starstruck, “Letting Out is Letting In”

Pre-order it here for $10 bucks (Only 500 made, so get it early)