The Instruction
Dangerbird
Cougar Express
Glassworks Rooftop
July 23, 2010, 8pm
Louisville’s The Instruction is hitting the rooftop of the Glassworks building again after playing there back in April. Their debut album, Failure by Design, is out now on sonaBLAST! Records. Check it out. You can’t go wrong wit this one. They put on one hell of a show and they are bringing a great support with Dangerbird and Cougar Express. See you there.
Louisville’s The Instruction played atop the Glassworks building on Saturday night and it was a complete spectacle. With the city’s skyline as a backdrop to the one of the best indie rock shows we’ve been to in a long time, the whole experience just set us back and made us smile. It seemed out of a movie or like the crowd of people there that night knew something that the rest of the city didn’t and were rewarded for it. We grabbed some pics and a video of their finale, “Super Siren” from their debut album, Failure by Design, out now on sonaBLAST! Records. Check it out.
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.
If you are looking for a place to warm up tonight head out to Skull Alley for what looks to be a great show. One of our favorite bands, The Instruction, is playing with newcomer, Hand Brigade, and local favorite The Hemingways. The show starts at 8 p.m. and tickets are $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.
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…
Held on the closing night of the third annual Idea Festival, the NuLu Festival is presented in conjunction with the 30th anniversary of Leadership Louisville and the Bingham Fellows Class of 2009.
Local restaurants and retailers will be on hand, and sponsor Bluegrass Brewing Co. will supply their local micro-brewed beer with wine by Felice Vineyard and Winery. With live music all night, cellist Ben Sollee will perform, as well as Generic Alternatives, Thomas A Minor & the Picket Line, Lucky Pineapple and local rockers The Instruction.
The event is free, family-friendly including the Gallapalooza foals and the “bubble truck”, and open to the public. The festival is presented by the East Market District Association with generous support from the following sponsors: IDEAFESTIVAL, Bluegrass Brewing Company, Felice Vineyard and Winery JAVA Brewing Company, Brightside, JEB Advertising, Action Graphics, Eon, Bingham Fellows, Leadership Louisville Center, Home of the Innocents, Tucker Booker Donhoff & Partners, Stock Yards Bank, Bargain Supply, sonaBLAST Records and 732 Social.
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.
Nashville’s The Features are coming back to Louisville to perform with two of Louisville’s finest…namely The Fervor and The Instruction. After having been seemingly forever since they performed in Louisville (did they come in 2008 at all?) they’ve been here three times so far in 2009. First they came and performed with Lucky Pineapple & Broken Spurs in February, and again to the Waterfront with the Broken Spurs.
Mat Herron’s The Fervor has been playing a string of dates with Wussy (Cincinnati sensations who maintain a large degree of hype around them and finally look to be trying to break out and do something with it).
ALBUM RELEASE PARTY: The performance will operate as the album release party for The Instruction, whose debut album Failure by Design was recently release on sonaBLAST! Records, so if you’re into The Instruction, or good area music in general, you should be sure to catch this show.
Forecastle has announced the complete stage line-ups to the 2009 event. The festival is headlined by The Black Keys on Friday and Widespread Panic Saturday and Sunday. Widespread Panic will perform two sets each evening. Additional performers include The Black Crowes, The Avett Brothers, Umphrey’s McGee, Zappa plays Zappa, Yonder Mountain String Band, and many more.
One slot still available is being left for fans to decide. The “Last Pick” promotion, presented by Forecastle and AbsolutePunk.net, allows fans to nominate their favorite local or regional band by visiting: http://www.usbankarena.com/lastpick.php. The winning band will be offered a spot on the East Stage, Saturday, July 11th.
Tickets for Forecastle 2009 are on-sale through Ticketmaster (www.ticketmaster.com/forecastle), all Ticketmaster locations, charge by phone at 1-800-745-3000, and select, independent record stores. Single-day passes are $40.00 with three-day passes at $100.00. Kick-off party, after-parties, and select, VIP package options are also available. Campgrounds accommodations and on-site hotel rooms at the Galt House are both sold out. For nearby accommodations, please call the Louisville Convention and Visitors Bureau at: (502) 584-2121.
Chemic and The Instruction played at the Pour Haus in Louisville, Kentucky on April 24, 2009. A decent crowd gathered for the show that was to also include Lexington’s Chico Fellini, but due to a “sound-guy issue” they skipped their set. Interestingly, three bands still ended up playing. Awesome New Republic, a band from Miami (Florida), was booked for the same night and ended up serving as the opener. They weren’t bad, but they were in to their own sound enough that it was fun to watch. I grabbed video of a song from Chemic and The Instruction’s sets, so check them out. These two bands are coming up fast. Chemic was just featured on MOKB’s Laundro Matinee and The Instruction has been in the studio for a while and their debut record, Failure by Design, is coming out soon. No word on upcoming shows for The Instruction, but you can catch Chemic next at Derby City Espresso on May 12th or at The Rud on June 11th. Check’em out.
The Instruction has been pretty busy recently. They just finished recording their debut album, Failure by Design, and are putting the final touches on it as you read this; so look for it in the near future. A music video for the forthcoming release, “Into the Tomorrow,” is now circulating (watch it here). Now that some of their time has opened up, they have scheduled four shows in the next month. Be sure to check out at least one of them…
March 27, 2009 at 6pm - Love Your Local Beer Fest w/ The Instruction, Thomas A. Minor and Adventure - Clifton Center – Free
April 4, 2009- The Instruction w/ Yardsale and The Genius File – Pour Haus
The Instruction have posted a video for the song “Into The Tomorrow” from the forthcoming debut album “Failure By Design“. The video was directed by Dave Boone at Altered Angle Productions & is best viewed in high definition (there is a link just below the right corner of the video).
