Tuesday, May 8, 2012
RED FANG Announce North American Tour Dates
ChiIL Live Shows' full interview with Red Fang from 11-11-11, when they opened for Mastodon at The Riviera in Chicago. We also featured a shorter excerpt from this interview on ChiILMama.com as part of our ongoing series on How Creatives Parent and How Parents Create, featuring members of Prong, Fitz and The Tantrums, Red Baraat and more. The members of Red Fang were truly funny guys and a great interview.
Click here for ChiIL Live Shows' pit photos of Red Fang opening for Mastodon at The Riviera in Chicago.
Portland Oregon's RED FANG are in the midst of wrapping up their European tour with a show tonight in Moscow, Russia and their final gig tomorrow in St. Petersburg, Russia. They've been out on a mad metal Euro tour with other colorful, toothy, metal favs of ours BLACK TUSK!
ChiIL Live Shows' pit photos of Black Tusk headlining Ultra Lounge, Chicago, just before they left the country with Red Fang. Click here for Monstro/Thou/Black Tusk, also at Ultra Lounge, a few months before.
Before they head back state-side, RED FANG is pleased to announce that they have just confirmed a new batch of North American tour dates. Included in this run are headlining shows as well as shows serving as direct support to The Sword. All tour dates can be found below.
Click here for ChiIL Live Shows' pit photos of The Sword opening for Kyuss Lives at The Vic in Chicago.
Rock for Grant High Art Dept:
RED FANG will be headlining "A Benefit For Grant High Art Department" scheduled to take place Friday May 25th at the Hawthorne Theater in Portland, OR. Support will come from Lopez, Nether Regions and Grant High's own Hell's Parrish. Doors for the show at are 7:00 pm with the first band hitting the stage at 7:30 pm. Tickets can be purchased for the show HERE.
RED FANG will also be taking part in Metallica's inaugural "Orion Music + More Festival" June 23rd in Atlantic City, NJ.
RED FANG recently premiered their latest video for "Hank is Dead" directed by Whitey McConnaughy can be viewed here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgV7hnjoyt0
RED FANG are streaming Murder The Mountains in its entirety at this location. The album is now available on CD, 12" vinyl, and deluxe digital via Relapse HERE and on iTunes HERE.
Check out Red Fang's main site here.
RED FANG On Tour
RUSSIAN TOUR
5/7: Moscow, Russia Plan B
5/8: St. Petersburg, Russia Orlandina
"A Benefit For Grant High Art Department"
5/25: Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theater
Headlining Dates
6/1: Seattle, WA @ Highline
6/12: Boise, ID @ Neurolux
6/13: Salt Lake City, UT @ Bar Deluxe
6/14: Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge
6/16: Denton, TX @ Rubber Gloves
Supporting The Sword
6/17: Houston, TX @ Fitzgerald's Upstairs
6/18: New Orleans, LA @ The Parish @ House of Blues
6/19: Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade
6/20: Raleigh, NC @ Kings
6/21: Baltimore, MD @ Sonar
"Orion Music + More Festival"
6/23: Atlantic City, NJ @ Bader Field
"MusicFest NW"
9/5: Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater
Monday, May 7, 2012
What Your Mama Really Wants-Adrenaline Mob & Kill Devil Hill at HOB Chicago
Give your mama or your babymama what she really wants for Mother's Day--a night out with mega metal musicians from Black Sabbath, Pantera,
Dream Theater, Symphony X and Disturbed--Adrenaline Mob and Kill Devil Hill at HOB, Chicago. Flowers die but metal lives! ChiIL Live Shows will be there and we'll have pit photos and a show recap shortly.
Current And Former Members Of Black Sabbath, Pantera, Dream Theater, Symphony X and Disturbed All On One Stage
Adrenaline Mob and Kill Devil Hill are heading out on the road together for what will be a memorable night of hard rock music. The
run, which will be comprised of current and former members of Black
Sabbath, Pantera, Dream Theater, Symphony X and Disturbed, kicks off on
May 10th in Cleveland. The tour will make stops in Dallas,
Chicago and Orlando before wrapping up in Charlotte, NC on May 22.
The
shows will feature Kill Devil Hill followed by Adrenaline Mob
and then end in all out jam between the two groups. Special VIP
Packages, including exclusive items and meet and greets will be
available for each band. Please check with the band’s respective
websites for details. Adrenaline Mob is the powerhouse
vocals of Russell Allen (Symphony X), the shredding guitar attack of
Mike Orlando (Sonic Stomp), the rhythmic bass playing of John Moyer
(Disturbed) and the drumming virtuosity of Mike Portnoy (Ex Dream
Theater/Avenged Sevenfold). Kill Devil Hill is
comprised of famed bassist Rex Brown, (Pantera, Down) drum monster Vinny
Appice (former drummer with Black Sabbath, Dio and Heaven And Hell),
guitar virtuoso Mark Zavon and vocalist Dewey Bragg.
Adrenaline Mob will be touring in support of their Elm City Records debut Omertá. The
record debuted Top 5 on the Billboard Rock Album chart when it was
released on March 13. The band reached #5 on the chart and also was #62
on the Billboard Top 200 selling over 6600 copies its first week. The
album has been getting amazing reviews with Revolver declaring “If you
dig hard-hitting modern metal, then Adrenaline Mob’s 11-track debut
offers some monstrous moments.” Adrenaline Mob formed
in 2011 when Sonic Stomp founder Orlando, who had been working on a
collection of songs, approached Symphony X vocalist Allen with a concept
and idea for the band. Together they joined forces and refined those
ideas. Allen then reached out to long-time friend and ex Dream
Theater/Avenged Sevenfold drummer Portnoy to see if he had any interest
in playing with them. Portnoy jumped on-board and from the very first
note, the chemistry and sound was apparent. In late 2011, Portnoy
recruited Disturbed’s Moyer to fill the vacant bass slot and the beast
that is known as Adrenaline Mob was born.
Kill Devil Hill is a super group consisting of famed bassist Rex
Brown, (Pantera, Down) drum monster Vinny Appice (former drummer with
Black Sabbath, Dio and Heaven And Hell), guitar virtuoso Mark Zavon and
vocalist Dewey Bragg. The band are gearing up to release their
self-titled debut album on May 22nd via SPV/Steamhammer. In 2009 Vinny
had found the perfect guitarist in Zavon, who was also looking to start a
new band. Zavon played a demo he had recorded with vocalist Dewey
Bragg, and Vinny was floored. With the three members in place Vinny
asked his long time friend Rex Brown to play bass on a demo track called
“War Machine”. Rex immediately agreed and the final puzzle piece was
in place for the formation of Kill Devil Hill.
ADRENALINE MOB/KILL DEVIL HILL TOUR DATES.
May 10 Cleveland, OH House Of Blues
May 11 Flint, MI The Machine Show
May 13 Chicago, IL House Of Blues
May 15 Dallas, TX Trees
May 16 San Antonio, TX Backstage Live
May 19 Fort Lauderdale, FL Revolution
May 21 Orlando, FL House Of Blues
May 22 Charlotte, NC Amos’ Southend
Flatfoot 56 Reveals New Album Info; “Toil” To Be Released July 24 Through Paper + Plastick Records
Flatfoot 56 has announced today the details behind its fourth label-backed studio album. The band will release Toil on July 24 via Paper + Plastick Records. Worldwide distribution will come from Stomp Records in Canada, and People Like You Records in Europe.
The Chicago-based Celtic punk-rockers recorded Toil in Matt Allison’s Atlas Studios, working with producer Johnny Rioux of the Street Dogs in January and February. They emerged from recording sessions with 13 new songs for the album, and the tracklisting can be seen below. “[Johnny] knows how to challenge us and push us to the next level, which is what any band hopes for,” says frontman Tobin Bawinkel (vocals/guitar) of the band’s decision to work with Rioux again.
The choice of producer was a big one this time, as Flatfoot 56 wrote a record that Bawinkel says takes on a “much more mature, heartfelt tone.” Rioux produced 2010’s critically acclaimed Black Thorn as well, so the band felt comfortable working with him again. “We still love whipping the crowd into a frenzy and making everybody dance,” says Bawinkel, “but we wrote some tunes that people can relate to, and that they can sing along to.”
Bawinkel and the rest of Flatfoot 56 – his brothers, Justin (drums) and Kyle (bass), Eric McMahon (bagpipes/guitar) and Brandon Good (mandolin/guitar) – may have suggested that Toil would be less raucous than previous albums, but the band’s well-noted hardcore-tinged sound is still present. “Brother, Brother” starts fast and never slows down, a blisteringly paced barnburner of an opening track, carried by McMahon’s bagpipes, aggressive yells, dirty guitars and a huge chorus. Meanwhile, other tracks like future first single “I Believe It” showcase a more rootsy, folk-oriented side of the band. Gang vocals and pounding drums allow Flatfoot 56 to retain its signature sound.
Toil is the band’s follow-up to 2010’s wildly successful Black Thorn, which notched the band a spot on nine Billboard charts.
Toil will become available on July 24 via Paper + Plastick Records. The record will be available in vinyl, CD and digital formats.
Flatfoot 56 Facebook
Flatfoot 56 Twitter
Flatfoot 56 - Toil
July 24, 2012
Paper + Plastick Records
1. Brother, Brother
2. The Rich, The Strong and The Poor
3. I Believe It
4. Take Hold Again
5. Toil
6. Live Or Die Trying
7. Work For Them
8. Terrorizing Truth
9. Strongman
10. 6'10"
11. This Time
12. Winter In Chicago
13. I'll Fly Away
More about Flatfot 56:
Playing a positive-natured brand of hardcore-tinged Celtic punk, Flatfoot 56 has been unleashing itself upon America and the rest of the world for over a decade now. Forming in 2000, the Chicago natives achieved nationwide attention with their first two label-backed records, 2006’s Knuckles Up and 2007’s Jungle of the Midwest Sea. These releases built on a heavy dose of previously established regional notoriety, helping the band gain steam early on.
While each album received its fair share of critical acclaim and fan reception, the quintet exploded onto a new level with 2010’s Black Thorn. Landing the band on a total of nine Billboard Charts, Flatfoot 56 proved it could consistently reach an expanding audience while playing a genre not often associated with widespread success.
Frontman Tobin Bawinkel (vocals/guitar) is now set to lead Flatfoot 56 on in their furious march forward. Armed with brothers Justin (drums) and Kyle (bass), along with Eric McMahon (bagpipes/guitar) and Brandon Good (mandolin/guitar), Flatfoot 56 will release its fourth label-backed studio album, Toil, on Paper + Plastick Records on July 24, 2012.
Like the band's last release, Toil was produced by the Street Dogs’ Johnny Rioux. “We decided that since the last experience with Johnny was so beneficial, we wanted to repeat it,” Bawinkel said. “We have been friends with Johnny for years our mutual respect fosters a good creative environment for putting together a record. He knows how to challenge us and push us the next level, which is what any band hopes for.”
The band recorded Toil in Matt Allison’s Chicago-based Atlas Studios in January and February. “We have always respected Paper + Plastick’s independent approach to putting out records because they always seem to promote the creative side of the album,” Bawinkel said of the band's choice of label. “As a band we all really value that creative vision, and Paper + Plastick is the place to be for that.”
While the record is set to be more rootsy and folk-oriented, it promises to pack the same relentless knock-down punch that fans have grown to expect from Flatfoot 56. More than a decade into its career, Flatfoot 56 isn’t slowing down, but maintaining a blistering pace of touring and musical output. “The next record's sound is taking on a much more mature, heartfelt tone,” Bawinkel said. “We’re writing these songs as life gets thrown at us, and as we all get a bit older and start to interpret life in different ways, we want to express ourselves to reflect the victories and defeats that we all go through. We still love whipping the crowd into a frenzy and making everybody dance but we want to write some tunes that people can relate to, and that they can sing along to.”
Toil will be released in 2012 by Paper + Plastick in the United States, Stomp Records in Canada, and People Like You Records in Europe.
Meat Puppets Cross Mediums With Book Release & Interactive App
New Book, Too High To Die: Meet The Meat Puppets, Traces Legendary Rock Band's Entire Career
Here at ChiIL Live Shows, we love it when mediums cross and music inspires books and DVDs, books inspire music and theatre, and so on. We had a chance to take our kids to see The Meat Puppets at an all ages summer music festival, and we had so much fun reliving their tunes and quirky choreography by showing the kids their music videos first. As of June 1st, it gets even better. There'll be an authorized band bio out!
Then later this summer, look for Meat Puppets to bring their pioneering legacy into the interactive world, as the band helps launch a new interactive music app called JamBandit. Fans will be able to experience Meat Puppets as never before, feeling the rush of genuinely playing in realtime with Cris, Curt, Ted, and Shandon, regardless of musical ability or training. To sign up for a sneak peek, visit www.jambandit.com. We can't wait to check it out!
Here's the book scoop:
For the first time ever, the Meat Puppets' story will be told in book form, when the authorized band bio, Too High to Die: Meet the Meat Puppets, is released on June 1, 2011. Journalist/book author/long-time Puppets fan Greg Prato wrote the book with full cooperation from the band.
In addition to featuring interviews with band members past and present, many renowned rock names were interviewed for the 407 page book, including Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Peter Buck (REM), Kim Thayil (Soundgarden), Henry Rollins (Black Flag/Rollins Band), Ian MacKaye (Minor Threat/Fugazi), Scott Asheton (Iggy & the Stooges), Dean DeLeo (Stone Temple Pilots), Doug Martsch (Built to Spill), Lee Ranaldo (Sonic Youth), Dave Pirner (Soul Asylum), J Mascis (Dinosaur Jr.), Mike Watt (Minutemen/fIREHOSE), Chad Channing (Nirvana), and Paul Leary (Butthole Surfers), among many others.
Set up in an "oral history format," the book is comprised entirely of never before published interviews, which were conducted solely for this book. Also included are 15 rarely seen and/or never-before-published photos of the band from throughout the years. All eras of the band are covered, including the writing/recording of such classic albums as 'Meat Puppets II' and 'Up on the Sun,' the group's appearance on Nirvana's classic 'MTV Unplugged' episode, the story behind their breakthrough hit single "Backwater," and how the Kirkwood brothers reunited in 2006, after being apart for nearly a decade.
As the group's singer/guitarist/songwriter Curt Kirkwood says on the book's back cover, "It's a very strange, wonderful experience to read...I love the way it flows...a linear time capsule compendium of the band's past...so many perspectives tied together so well. I feel like I've been hanging out in these scenes just yesterday. Folks I know well and folks I've never even met giving me insights and perspectives on the band and myself that I've never considered or been aware of. Eerie and fun to find myself so captivated reading about something that has held me captive for my entire adult life...sometimes it's hard to see the forest for the trees. This is giving me a glimpse of the forest...thanks for the bitchin' experience."
The book will be priced at $24.99 and made available for sale via Lulu.com on June 1, with a pre-order currently set up via the Meat Puppets official website.
For pre-order info (and for more information about the Meat Puppets), visit www.themeatpuppets.com.
Friday, May 4, 2012
PLAY LOCALLY-(21+) Damn Choir Album Release & Suckers at Empty Bottle
There's once again an overabundance of great live music, theatre, and events going on in Chi-Town. Here are just a few of our highly recommended live band favs for Friday and Saturday.
Friday
record release party (21+)
Paper Thick Walls at Schubas (click the link for our show shots from Schubas)
Saturday
Suckers at Empty Bottle (21+)
Come check out some live ear candy at Empty Bottle.
Suckers' Candy Salad Now Streaming On Paste
Sophomore LP Out On Frenchkiss Records
Spring Tour With Support From Frenchkiss Labelmates Young Man & Devin
Tour Dates
5/01 - Glasslands - Brooklyn, NY
5/02 - Kung Fu Necktie - Philadelphia, PA
5/03 - Club AE - Pittsburgh, PA
5/04 - The Basement - Columbus, OH
5/05 - Empty Bottle - Chicago, IL
5/07 - 7th St Entry - Minneapolis, MN*
5/09 - Hi Dive - Denver, CO
5/11 - Kilby Court - Salt Lake City, UT*
5/12 - Neurolux - Boise, ID N*
5/13 - Neumo's - Seattle, WA*
5/14 - Media Club - Vancouver, BC*
5/17 - Bottom of the Hill - San Francisco, CA*
5/18 - Echo - Los Angeles, CA*
5/19 - Alex's Bar - Long Beach, CA*
5/20 - Casbah - San Diego, CA*
5/22 - Rhythm Room - Phoenix, AZ*
5/23 - Lowbrow Palace - El Paso, TX*
5/25 - Red 7 - Austin, TX*
5/28 - The Earl - Atlanta, GA&
5/29 - Local 506 - Chapel Hill, NC&
5/30 - The Ottobar - Baltimore, MD&
* w/ Young Man
& w/ Devin
Press
"Pushing themselves to hone their sound has allowed them to construct an infectious piece of work without sacrificing depth or meaning, particularly in terms of their lyrics." - Paste
"With a dollop of radiant electronic energy, the Brooklyn art pop collective sounds ready for the summer, and they will be." - Consequence of Sound
"you’ll definitely find plenty to fall for on this effort, such as the band’s favorite accompaniment–a nice heartfelt whistle." - Austin Town Hall
"No one’s abandoning their love for awesome, varying guitar tones (that solo!) nor that affinity for hyper-catchy riffs in unexpected places (that whistling!) nor those heartstring-tugging choir vocals, they’re just updating their tried-and-true formula into anthemic territory, and it works like a charm." - Pretty Much Amazing
"they’ve concentrated and focused their eccentricities into a set that is dreamlike but not at all dream-pop, and sweet without ever slipping into cloying twee territory." - PopMatters
""Turn on the Sunshine” gives fans a complex arrangement of poppy chord progressions merged into the smooth, singular focal point of a sweet and innocent love track." - The Wild Honey Pie
'Candy Salad' | Tracklisting
01. Going Nowhere
02. Figure It Out
03. Bricks to the Bones
04. Chinese Braille
05. Leave the Light On
06. Charmaine
07. George
08. Turn on the Sunshine
09. Lydia
10. Roses
Click Here To Stream Candy Salad On Paste Magazine
....................................................................................
Besides being a signature song for Suckers, “It Gets Your Body Movin’” is a mission statement for the band as well. Ever since coalescing in Brooklyn four years ago, they’ve been restless experimenters, thriving on creative momentum. And while the trio’s just-completed sophomore album Candy Salad, out April 24th on Frenchkiss, is a remarkable progression from their auspiciously far-flung debut Wild Smile, it’s every bit as indicative of how they’re powered by the uncertainty of paradox. It’s a more mature work than Wild Smile, mostly because of its directness and simplicity. It has a warmer sound than their past releases, resulting from hours upon end of intense studio work, but still retains a refreshing, almost effortless feel that instantly draws in the listener.
And that’s essentially the story of Suckers: instantaneous impact that can obscure the tremendous evolution that preceded it. Vocalists Austin Fisher and Quinn Walker grew up down the road from each other in the alternately enlightened and grim environment outside of New Haven, CT, while enigmatic bassist/utilityman Pan lived about twenty minutes away. Though raised in the shadow of Yale, the three were inspired to seek the kind of cultural stimulus one could only acquire hours away in New York City. Upon arrival, they soon immersed themselves fully in the city’s unpredictable and volatile intersection of art and music –Fisher would spend off hours working at the Guggenheim and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, while Walker released a solo double-album to considerable underground acclaim on Voodoo-Eros, the label run by influential avant-pop band CocoRosie.
And while those early days of hashing out material previously written by Fisher and Walker were formative, it wasn’t until they started composing from scratch as a trio that Suckers truly began to take shape. The first song they wrote together became “It Gets Your Body Movin’,” an infectious singalong that detonated on contact in the blogosphere, a timeless song that began their incredibly timely trajectory within the internet’s hype cycle.
It would become the linchpin of their 2009 self-titled EP, produced by Anand Wilder of Yeasayer and a crucial document of where the band was in that still fetal stage. Fisher rightfully calls the time between the EP and their 2010 debut Wild Smile “a blur,” which culminated with the band being the toast of SXSW after wowing the festival with their kinetic live performances, Walker’s stratospheric falsetto and uncanny, wildly colorful stage presence. You could hear hints of the twitchy experimentalism of Talking Heads, David Bowie’s flamboyant persona and a vocal range that spanned from Kate Bush’s spectral incantations to Bono’s populism, and though referential of Walker and Fisher’s idols, it sounded like little else. As Fisher puts it, “if we think something is starting to sound overtly like another band, we change direction.”
Indeed, the immensely tuneful and lyrically ambitious Candy Salad represents such a marked change in direction that even Suckers’ older records aren’t subject to the band’s aversion to replication. Unlike Wild Smile, which featured songs culled together from various studio sessions, the band hunkered down at Vacation Island in Williamsburg with Matt Boynton (Black Dice, MGMT). The intent was to formulate something more cohesive and warm and from the majestic Brit-pop of “Lydia” to the charging Eno-esque “Figure It Out,” to “Going Nowhere,” their most straightforward song to date despite removing the bass “When Doves Cry”-style, they’ve achieved something totally new for the band while maintaining the buoyancy and pop smarts of Wild Smile. Obviously, they can’t wait for their fans to hear it, partly because they want to share it - Walker hopes you love it, Fisher hopes you get the lyrics tattooed on your back and Pan hopes it makes mom proud - and partly because they’ve already got their sights set on what’s next, perpetual bodies in motion.
Friday
record release party (21+)
The Damn Choir | Paper Thick Walls | Kingsley Flood at The Hideout
- Today
- 10:00pm until 1:00am
- The Hideout - 1354 W. Wabansia Ave, Chicago, IL 60642
Get tickets: http://ticketf.ly/HixAaM
Details: The Damn Choir at The Hideout
Damn Choir at Burlington (with Crain Wives and Briar Rabbit 12-16-11)
Paper Thick Walls at Schubas (click the link for our show shots from Schubas)
Saturday
Suckers at Empty Bottle (21+)
Come check out some live ear candy at Empty Bottle.
Suckers' Candy Salad Now Streaming On Paste
Sophomore LP Out On Frenchkiss Records
Spring Tour With Support From Frenchkiss Labelmates Young Man & Devin
Tour Dates
5/01 - Glasslands - Brooklyn, NY
5/02 - Kung Fu Necktie - Philadelphia, PA
5/03 - Club AE - Pittsburgh, PA
5/04 - The Basement - Columbus, OH
5/05 - Empty Bottle - Chicago, IL
5/07 - 7th St Entry - Minneapolis, MN*
5/09 - Hi Dive - Denver, CO
5/11 - Kilby Court - Salt Lake City, UT*
5/12 - Neurolux - Boise, ID N*
5/13 - Neumo's - Seattle, WA*
5/14 - Media Club - Vancouver, BC*
5/17 - Bottom of the Hill - San Francisco, CA*
5/18 - Echo - Los Angeles, CA*
5/19 - Alex's Bar - Long Beach, CA*
5/20 - Casbah - San Diego, CA*
5/22 - Rhythm Room - Phoenix, AZ*
5/23 - Lowbrow Palace - El Paso, TX*
5/25 - Red 7 - Austin, TX*
5/28 - The Earl - Atlanta, GA&
5/29 - Local 506 - Chapel Hill, NC&
5/30 - The Ottobar - Baltimore, MD&
* w/ Young Man
& w/ Devin
Press
"Pushing themselves to hone their sound has allowed them to construct an infectious piece of work without sacrificing depth or meaning, particularly in terms of their lyrics." - Paste
"With a dollop of radiant electronic energy, the Brooklyn art pop collective sounds ready for the summer, and they will be." - Consequence of Sound
"you’ll definitely find plenty to fall for on this effort, such as the band’s favorite accompaniment–a nice heartfelt whistle." - Austin Town Hall
"No one’s abandoning their love for awesome, varying guitar tones (that solo!) nor that affinity for hyper-catchy riffs in unexpected places (that whistling!) nor those heartstring-tugging choir vocals, they’re just updating their tried-and-true formula into anthemic territory, and it works like a charm." - Pretty Much Amazing
"they’ve concentrated and focused their eccentricities into a set that is dreamlike but not at all dream-pop, and sweet without ever slipping into cloying twee territory." - PopMatters
""Turn on the Sunshine” gives fans a complex arrangement of poppy chord progressions merged into the smooth, singular focal point of a sweet and innocent love track." - The Wild Honey Pie
'Candy Salad' | Tracklisting
01. Going Nowhere
02. Figure It Out
03. Bricks to the Bones
04. Chinese Braille
05. Leave the Light On
06. Charmaine
07. George
08. Turn on the Sunshine
09. Lydia
10. Roses
Click Here To Stream Candy Salad On Paste Magazine
....................................................................................
Besides being a signature song for Suckers, “It Gets Your Body Movin’” is a mission statement for the band as well. Ever since coalescing in Brooklyn four years ago, they’ve been restless experimenters, thriving on creative momentum. And while the trio’s just-completed sophomore album Candy Salad, out April 24th on Frenchkiss, is a remarkable progression from their auspiciously far-flung debut Wild Smile, it’s every bit as indicative of how they’re powered by the uncertainty of paradox. It’s a more mature work than Wild Smile, mostly because of its directness and simplicity. It has a warmer sound than their past releases, resulting from hours upon end of intense studio work, but still retains a refreshing, almost effortless feel that instantly draws in the listener.
And that’s essentially the story of Suckers: instantaneous impact that can obscure the tremendous evolution that preceded it. Vocalists Austin Fisher and Quinn Walker grew up down the road from each other in the alternately enlightened and grim environment outside of New Haven, CT, while enigmatic bassist/utilityman Pan lived about twenty minutes away. Though raised in the shadow of Yale, the three were inspired to seek the kind of cultural stimulus one could only acquire hours away in New York City. Upon arrival, they soon immersed themselves fully in the city’s unpredictable and volatile intersection of art and music –Fisher would spend off hours working at the Guggenheim and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, while Walker released a solo double-album to considerable underground acclaim on Voodoo-Eros, the label run by influential avant-pop band CocoRosie.
And while those early days of hashing out material previously written by Fisher and Walker were formative, it wasn’t until they started composing from scratch as a trio that Suckers truly began to take shape. The first song they wrote together became “It Gets Your Body Movin’,” an infectious singalong that detonated on contact in the blogosphere, a timeless song that began their incredibly timely trajectory within the internet’s hype cycle.
It would become the linchpin of their 2009 self-titled EP, produced by Anand Wilder of Yeasayer and a crucial document of where the band was in that still fetal stage. Fisher rightfully calls the time between the EP and their 2010 debut Wild Smile “a blur,” which culminated with the band being the toast of SXSW after wowing the festival with their kinetic live performances, Walker’s stratospheric falsetto and uncanny, wildly colorful stage presence. You could hear hints of the twitchy experimentalism of Talking Heads, David Bowie’s flamboyant persona and a vocal range that spanned from Kate Bush’s spectral incantations to Bono’s populism, and though referential of Walker and Fisher’s idols, it sounded like little else. As Fisher puts it, “if we think something is starting to sound overtly like another band, we change direction.”
Indeed, the immensely tuneful and lyrically ambitious Candy Salad represents such a marked change in direction that even Suckers’ older records aren’t subject to the band’s aversion to replication. Unlike Wild Smile, which featured songs culled together from various studio sessions, the band hunkered down at Vacation Island in Williamsburg with Matt Boynton (Black Dice, MGMT). The intent was to formulate something more cohesive and warm and from the majestic Brit-pop of “Lydia” to the charging Eno-esque “Figure It Out,” to “Going Nowhere,” their most straightforward song to date despite removing the bass “When Doves Cry”-style, they’ve achieved something totally new for the band while maintaining the buoyancy and pop smarts of Wild Smile. Obviously, they can’t wait for their fans to hear it, partly because they want to share it - Walker hopes you love it, Fisher hopes you get the lyrics tattooed on your back and Pan hopes it makes mom proud - and partly because they’ve already got their sights set on what’s next, perpetual bodies in motion.
Chris (Sandman) Sand-The Infamous Red Bathrobe Video Premier
Sandman-Thanks for the Sex-LIVE at Hideout, Chicago
ChiIL Live Shows 4/26/12 (PG13 for content)
As referenced in our interview with Chris and Tony, here's the infamous, "red bathrobe", laugh inducing music video for Thanks For The Sex, shot at Tony's home last summer and "locked in the vault" till now. Sandman hasn't even put it out there on his own sites, but he gave us the thumbs up to run it. You've seen it here at ChiIL Live Shows, folks. Though tame by most standards, this one gets a PG13 for content, though it's more likely to crack you up than incense the censors. We also have a live version of the same song that we shot at Hideout on 4/26/12 above. Enjoy!
Sandman-Thanks for the Sex-music video
at Tony's home, Chicago
Gotta Get Home To My Baby-LIVE at Hideout-Chris (Sandman) Sand
(PG13 language alert) We dig this slice of Americana--a brand new song from Chris (Sandman) Sand of Roll Out Cowboy documentary fame.
Chris (Sandman) Sand--The Rappin' Cowboy--
performed LIVE at Hideout in Chicago on 4/26/12. His wife and infant
daughter, Stevie, are in Montana. His gigs as a musician and his
truck driver day job take him away from them for stretches, but provide
great material for songs that are simultaneously poignant, funny and all
together endearing.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)