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.
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.
On Saturday night, I was witness to one of the bests local shows in recent memory. Three of my favorite local bands under one roof (and for charity)! Dude Plays Saxophone started off the night and You’re My Density followed up, both with great sets to a packed house at the Zanzabar. The Pass was the last band on the bill and blew the crowd away. I knew their set was something special simply by looking at the dance floor. Initially only a few people braved the area in front of the stage, but with each song the dance floor lost its space. By the final song, everyone was shoulder-to-shoulder going nuts. I had heard their EP, Colors, and enjoyed it thoroughly. They are not your average dance rock band. While many bands attempting the same sound fall victim to relying on one catchy song and ignorable lyrics, The Pass have a early catalog of songs that each can stand on their own. I saw them play on the rooftop of Glassworks, but this was something different, something more. I have a feeling that in a year or two, I’ll look back at this show and be thankful that I got to witness them “way back when.” They recently signed with SonaBlast Records and should have new material out next year. Put it on the board, The Pass will make waves in 2010.
One of our favorite local bands, The Instruction, played a show at Skull Alley last Thursday night and we were there hanging out and snapped a few pics. We’ve talked a lot about The Instruction and for good reason. Next chance you get check out one of their shows or pick up their new album, Failure by Design, a fantastic debut for a very talented band. We also grabbed a video of a track from that album, “Mayday.” Enjoy.
The Meat Puppets love Louisville and we love the Meat Puppets. Since BS has begun, they’ve been here three times, beginning in August of 07 where we missed them, but instead catching them first in 2008 with Built to Spill at Headliners (review) and again in 2009 at Waterfront Wednesday (review). and they’ve played nice with the crowd each time.
On November 17, the Meat Puppets are back to Headliners with Lucky Pineapple opening.
Unlike the waterfront show, this one is 18+ and $12.
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.
We were at the NuLu Fest Saturday night and before the rain, we were able to catch The Instruction, then Ben Sollee and Cheyenne Mize. Here are a few pics that we snapped…
If practice makes perfect then The Instruction is the opposite of Allen Iverson. Thursday night at Headliner’s was the CD Release Party for their debut album, Failure by Design, and they absolute killed it. I can count on three hands the number of times that I have seen The Instruction and they keep getting better every time. Their stage presence is commanding, delivery tight and sound pitch perfect. They have been signed by local label sonaBLAST! and the new album is already getting airplay across the nation (mainly their single “Hello Darlin‘” NOTE: mp3 from EP, so a little different). We can only wait and see how far these guys go. In the meantime, you have two more chances to see them this weekend. They will be playing an in-store show at Ear x-tacy Saturday (9/12) night and then they will head to the Nachbar for a late night show (around 10:30ish).
Until Thursday, The Fervor was my “Why-the-hell-have-I-not-seen-this-band-live-band.” They no longer have that title. Instead, they are now just one of my favorite local bands. They are a little like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs because their lead singer is a woman and a little like My Morning Jacket because they are awesome. Donning a gold mask, lead singer, Natalie Felker, belted siren-esque lyrics over a percussion section that was ridiculous. Wrap all that up with a solid rock n’ roll finish and you’ve got The Fervor. They are playing a free 4th Street Live show with Squeeze-bot on September 18th and another free show at the Nachbar on September 19th. Go to one of these shows. Or both.
), 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.
