It is no secret that we are HUGE fans of Louisville band, THE PASS. We’ve seen them live a couple times and have been blow away by their talent and the pure entertainment they have brought to town. They have a lot of big things headed their way and it is starting with the release of their debut EP, Colors. STARTING TOMORROW, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 3, 2010, COLORS WILL BE AVAILABLE AT EAR X-TACY. Head down there and pick it up. You will be supporting a great local band and ear x-tacy as well. For a taste, listen to one of our favorite tracks from the EP, “Crosswalk Stereo,” below…
Hailing from Louisville, KY and sounding like the spot where Phoenix and Starfucker go to have their babies, The Pass are making us dance with their mad catchy quasi-single “Crosswalk Stereo”. Said single appears on the Pass’ self-made debut EP, Colors, which is supposed to be out later this month.
The Pass are currently working on their debut full-length release, which will be mixed by Alex Aldi. You have heard of some of his most recent clients: Tokyo Police Club, Passion Pit, Harlem Shakes (RIP ), and the Walkmen. Both the EP and the LP will be released by Louisville indie record label SonaBLAST! Records. You can download the first single, “Crosswalk Stereo” for free below. Mark my words when I say these guys are the next, next, next big thing.
On March 9, Titus Andronicus has a new album, The Monitor, out on XL. It is “an ambitious, kick-ass, so-geeky-it’s-cool concept record about the Civil War.” On March 12th, you get to see them in-store at ear x-tacy at 6pm. Go ahead and mark it down. Rolling Stone Magazine even hyped them last month. This will be one of those shows where we look back in a year and say, “they played for free at ear x-tacy?” Trust me. You don’t want to miss it!
03-06 New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom #
03-08 Fords, NJ – Vintage Vinyl (in-store)
03-09 Lakewood, OH – My Mind’s Eye (in-store)
03-10 Columbus, OH – Used Kids (in-store)
03-11 Athens, OH – Ohio University 03-12 Louisville, KY – Ear X-Tacy (in-store)
03-13 Chicago, IL – Reckless Records Wicker Park (in-store)
03-14 St. Louis, MO – Vintage Vinyl (in-store)
03-16 Dallas, TX – Good Records (in-store)
03-20 Austin, TX – Red 7 Patio (SXSW) $
03-21 El Paso, TX – Black Market
03-22 Phoenix, AZ – Chryo Arts
03-23 Los Angeles, CA – Bootleg Theater
03-24 Santa Barbara, CA – Club Mercy *
03-26 Visalia, CA – Cellar Door
03-27 Sacramento, CA – Luigi’s Fungarden
03-28 San Francisco, CA – Slim’s
03-30 Seattle, WA – Vera Project
03-31 Portland, OR – Mississippi Studios
04-01 Vancouver, British Columbia – TBD
04-02 Missoula, MT – The Palace
04-04 Fargo, ND – The Aquarium
04-05 Minneapolis, MN – 7th Street Entry
04-07 Chicago, IL – The Bottom Lounge
04-08 Detroit, MI – Majestic Cafe
04-09 Toronto, Ontario – Sneaky Dee’s
04-10 Montreal, Quebec – Green Room
04-11 New Paltz, NY – St. Paul Lutheran Church Parish Hall
04-12 Allston, MA – Great Scott
04-13 Bronx, NY – Rodrigues Coffee House (Fordham University)
04-14 Purchase, NY – SUNY Purchase Student Center
04-15 Philadelphia, PA – The Barbary
04-16 Washington, DC – Positive Force DC (St. Stephen’s Church)
04-17 Charlottesville, VA – Random Row
04-18 Chapel Hill, NC – Local 506
04-19 Atlanta, GA – 529
04-20 Indianapolis, IN – Radio Radio
04-22 Columbus, OH – Summit
04-23 Harrisburg, PA – Abbey Bar
04-24 Hoboken, NJ – Maxwell’s
# with Parts and Labor, the Babies
$ with Fucked Up, J Mascis
* with Ted Leo
I’ve been buying records at Ear X-tacy since I was a tadpole,” says Jim James of My Morning Jacket. He adds, “I think the thing that people forget about is the community and the memories that are created when you come to an independent and locally owned record store that you can only get in that town.”This quote is from the recording “Celebración de la Ciudad Natal,” a live album recorded in Louisville, at Ear x-tacy, and also the city’s Waterfront park by My Morning Jacket. The release was produced for Record Store Day 2009. In support of the save Ear X-tacy campaign, My Morning Jacket and ATO records is allowing all download sales for one month of this release to go directly to Ear x-tacy. The album will also feature a special price of $ 4.99. You can purchase the download exclusively via their digital home page at http://earxtacy.thinkindie.com, or directly here. The download is a hi-res 320 kb MP3 made available via ThinkIndie.com, which is owned and operated by CIMS(Coalition Of Independent Music stores), of which Ear X-tacy is a founding member.
I’ve been spinning this album non-stop recently. If you don’t already own it, now is the perfect time!!
If you are like me and love vinyl, now is the time to head down to ear x-tacy. Not just because of the recent buzz around their financial state, but because there is a really great deal going on there this week. Details above.
This morning at 10am, a ton of local media and fans of ear x-tacy filled the record store for a press conference with owner John Timmons to address “potential changes to ear x-tacy.” In sum, ear x-tacy is is trouble and they have been for the past three years. In order to stay above water (or rather return to the black), Timmons made a plea, not for our charity, but for our business. The times have changed and more and more people are downloading on-line every day. Some legally, a lot illegally. Bottom line, if you want ear x-tacy to stick around, purchase your music there (they even have an on-line store).
Timmons also took questions and admitted that there is a possibility that the store may close or change locations. Word is someone has even offered him FREE RENT in a different location. While it would be a huge loss to the highlands area and the general psyche of the status of supports, I’d rather have ear x-tacy in a new, possibly smaller location, than to not have it at all. If you look at great record stores in other areas such as Grimey’s in Nashville and Shake It! in Cincy, they are not in the best area in town, but they create their own traffic. They ARE the destination, not the area. Ear x-tacy can survive a move. They have before.
Timmons also mentioned the possibility that another option would be to downsize in the current location and share the space with another business (perhaps upstairs or wall off the back room that is mostly used for CD’s. Ear x-tacy’s lease is up in March, but he said the owner may give him a little extra time to work out their negotiations. Let’s hope they work it out.
On a related note, there were a ton of local artist present, including Jim James and Patrick Hallahan of My Morning Jacket. I could list all of the other local artist, but it would go on forever and I know I would leave people out. Also, I saw a lot of familiar faces in the local music scene, including bloggers, PR/Management folks, festival curators, concert promoters and venue owners. Everyone was gathered in one room, for one reason…we all love ear x-tacy and want to see it do well. It really said a lot about how close-nit we all really are and how much everyone cares about this important part of Louisville’s history AND FUTURE.
Here is the video of the press conference in four parts (damn youtube time limits)…
A full album stream of Ben Sollee & Daniel Martin Moore’s record, Dear Companion, can be found on the band’s website all this week leading up to their February 16th release date!
Dear Companion is a collaboration between three Kentucky musicians: the songs are written and performed by Ben Sollee and Daniel Martin Moore, produced by and featuring Yim Yames of My Morning Jacket and Monsters of Folk. Recorded in the first half of 2009 in their home state, Dear Companion explores their ties to the place they love and aims to draw attention to the problem of mountaintop removal coal mining and its impact on the people and heritage of central Appalachia.
A portion of the proceeds from Dear Companion will benefit Appalachian Voices, an organization devoted to ending mountaintop removal and finding a better way forward. Learn more at: www.ilovemountains.org or www.subpop.com
sonaBLAST! Records and Crash Avenue Publicity, in conjunction with Forecastle Festival, are pleased to announce, Survival Kit 2K10: The Path to Relevance in the New Decade.
Survival Kit 2K10 is a special music networking event on par with the conference discussions hosted at Austin’s South By Southwest and New York’s CMJ Music Marathon. As a warm up to this month’s Halfway to Forecastle, a variety of music media will be in Louisville to attend and discuss issues in the ever-changing and complicated world of independent music publishing.
Survival Kit 2K10 will host a panel of speakers and participants both locally and nationally to discuss issues and offer advice, focusing on the tools and the objectives necessary for a budding artist to thrive in the new decade. This event aims to be helpful to the talented pool of regional musicians around Louisville, as well as a chance for musicians, tastemakers, and industry insiders to connect.
Survival Kit 2K10 will take place at The Green Building before Halfway to Forecastle, Saturday January 23rd from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. The event kicks off with a meet and greet, then leads into our panel discussion and Q & A. Appetizers and cash bar will be available (with drink specials – it’s still a recession) courtesy of 732 Social.
This event is free and open to the public. Seating is non-ticketed and on a first come basis.
From Ben Sollee & Daniel Martin Moore’s album Dear Companion out February 16th, 2010 on Sub Pop.
Dear Companion is a collaboration between three Kentucky musicians: the songs are written and performed by Ben Sollee and Daniel Martin Moore, produced by and featuring Yim Yames of My Morning Jacket and Monsters of Folk. Recorded in the first half of 2009 in their home state, Dear Companion explores their ties to the place they love and aims to draw attention to the problem of mountaintop removal coal mining and its impact on the people and heritage of central Appalachia.
A portion of the proceeds from Dear Companion will benefit Appalachian Voices, an organization devoted to ending mountaintop removal and finding a better way forward. Learn more about mountaintop removal at: www.ilovemountains.org or www.subpop.com
Listen to “Want Within the Need” and “Quietly” from Second Story Man’s upcoming album, Screaming Secrets, out on December 5, 2009 via Noise Pollution Records, on their myspace page HERE. They have a CD release show at Skull Alley also on December 5th. Hopefully these two tracks will tide you over.
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.
With often dark and introspective lyrics draped over power chords, The Instruction (a foursome comprised of Blake Sakal, Wes Hawthorne, Jeremy Stein, and Brandon Terrell) have made their mark through relentless and energetic live shows, sharing the stage with everyone from These United States to Thao with the Get Down Stay Down and MC Chris. With their SonaBLAST! Records debut, Failure by Design, the group is ready to move forward into the rest of the world.
Hailing from Louisville, KY, home to such enigmatic and diverse musical icons as Slint, Will Oldham, My Morning Jacket, Rachels and a wide array of 70s punk bands, it shouldn’t be terribly surprising to find The Instruction’s sound as something fresh in the face of an oversaturated indie rock market focused on gimmicks. This is perhaps never more true than with songs like Mayday, Hello Darlin’ & Into the Tomorrow, which display the kind of raw emotion that would be right at home in both the indie charts and commercial radio. While you can sometimes feel vague nods to their influences, Failure by Design is at all times their own, with songs dripping with power chords, pumping bass, and infectious choruses. The Instruction is founded on Stein and Terrell’s hermetic rhythm section with guitars that are abrasive in all the right ways, and at the very core of their sound is Sakal’s vocals, which bring to mind the grit and masculine sexuality of Jim Morrison. Tight production and years of playing together brings the package together, and with a new release, a new record deal, a solid fan base and a series of music festivals on the bill, The Instruction are going to surprise and enrapture you. Listen, Learn, Love.
Okay. I can’t count how many time I have started a post with “March is going to be amazing,” but you are going to have to bear with me for at least one more. March is going to be AMAZING, and I couldn’t think of a better way to end it than with Seattle-based Throw Me The Statue. They will be playing at The Icehouse (412 Cross St.) in Lexington on March 31st and admission is just $5 bucks (The Icehouse closed, so all their shows are getting moved to different venues…we’ll let you know when we find out more). Their album, Moonbeams, was released last year by Baskerville Hill Records and is set to be re-released this month by Secretly Canadian Records (Bodies of Water, Catfish Haven, Jens Lekman…). Moonbeams is a great album that doesn’t have a bad track (the question to be debated is whether or not it should be considered a ‘08 album for the “Best of…”). I’m also a pretty big fan of the album cover (which apparently pitchfork considers in its album analysis). “Lolita” is the song that brought my attention to the album, but you could easily find a different favorite. “About to Walk” is a captivating song with distant vocals that you may, upon first listen, think too much is going on, but grow to appreciate. If you are more into indie-pop playfulness, with a catchy chorus then listen to “This Is How We Kiss” first. Regardless of your favorite song, this show will be a great opportunity to catch a very talented band on the way up ($5 bucks after a SXSW bill?!?).
), and the Walkmen. Both the EP and the LP will be released by Louisville indie record label SonaBLAST! Records. You can download the first single, “Crosswalk Stereo” for free below. Mark my words when I say these guys are the next, next, next big thing.
