Category Archives: Indie

The Ataris Announce So Long, Astoria Reunion Tour

The Ataris

The Ataris made a huge announcement yesterday.  They have decided to get the old band back together to play live So Long, Astoria.

Old man moment.  So Long Astoria was released 10 years ago.  And to think, I thought I was old then… yikes.

Spite me feeling sorry for myself, I am absolutely THRILLED to hear that The Ataris are getting the original lineup together to perform So Long, Astoria in its entirety. This will be a show not to be missed.

The Ataris - So Long, Astoria

For one tour only, Kristopher Roe, Mike Davenport, Chris Knapp and John Collura will hit the road and play So Long, Astoria.  Supporting acts include: Authority Zero, Drag The River, Versus The World and Gasoline Heart.  Tickets for the upcoming tour will go on sale to the public on December 20th.

And yes, there is a Cleveland show.  March 24th at the Agora.

I don’t remember the last time they played Cleveland.  No seriously, I do not remember a single thing.  Someone apparently snuck up on me that night and got me drunk.  I think his name was PBR.  Lucky for me, I have some good friends who put up with me for the night and made sure I make it home safely.

Additionally, rumor has it that there may be a re-press of So Long, Astoria  thanks to Kung-Fu Records

As if that was not enough, The Ataris also released on their BandCamp page 50 demos and unreleased tracks from So Long, Astoria for “pay what you want”.

Check it out:

The Ataris’ So Long, Astoria Reunion Tour Dates:
Feb 28 – Scottsdale, AZ – Pub Rock (w/Versus The World)
March 1 – Las Vegas, NV – Backstage Bar (w/Versus The World)
March 2 – Fresno, CA – Strummer’s (w/Versus The World)
March 3 – San Luis Obispo, CA – SLO Brewing Company (w/Versus The World)
March 5 – Los Angeles, CA – House of Blues (w/Authority Zero, Drag The River, Versus The World)
March 6 – Anaheim, CA – House of Blues (w/Authority Zero, Drag The River, Versus The World)
March 7 – San Diego, CA – House of Blues (w/Authority Zero, Drag The River, Versus The World)
March 8 – San Francisco, CA – Bottom of the Hill (w/Authority Zero, Drag The River, Versus The World)
March 11 – Portland, OR – Hawthorne Theatre (w/Authority Zero, Drag The River, Versus The World)
March 12 – Seattle, WA – The Showbox at the Market (w/Authority Zero, Drag The River, Versus The World)
March 13 – Boise, ID – Knitting Factory (w/Authority Zero, Drag The River, Versus The World)
March 14 – Salt Lake City, UT – In The Venue (Club Sound) (w/Authority Zero, Drag The River, Versus The World)
March 15 – Denver, CO – The Summit Music Hall (w/Drag The River, Versus The World)
March 16 – Kansas City, MO – Riot Room (w/Authority Zero, Drag The River, Versus The World)
March 18 – St. Louis, MO – Old Rock House (w/Authority Zero, Drag The River, Versus The World)
March 20 – Minneapolis, MN – Mill City Nights (w/Authority Zero, Drag The River, Gasoline Heart)
March 21 – Chicago, IL – House of Blues (w/Authority Zero, Drag The River, Gasoline Heart)
March 22 – Indianapolis, IN – The Vogue (w/Authority Zero, Drag The River, Gasoline Heart)
March 23 – Detroit, MI – The Shelter (w/Authority Zero, Drag The River, Gasoline Heart)
March 24 – Cleveland, OH – Agora Ballroom (w/Authority Zero, Drag The River, Gasoline Heart)
March 25 – Pittsburgh, PA – Altar Bar (w/Authority Zero, Drag The River, Gasoline Heart)
March 27 – Philadelphia, PA – Theatre of Living Arts (w/Authority Zero, Drag The River, Gasoline Heart)
March 28 – Silver Spring, MD – The Fillmore (w/Authority Zero, Drag The River, Gasoline Heart)
March 29 – Boston, MA – Brighton Music Hall (w/Authority Zero, Drag The River, Gasoline Heart)
March 30 – New York, NY – The Gramercy Theatre (w/Authority Zero, Drag The River, Gasoline Heart)

BHP Best Albums of 2013

It’s that time of the year again folks.  Eggnog, booze, maxing out credit cards on tasteless gifts, being nice to family members you would rather avoid,  and also that part where I take days upon days to think about all the amazing releases that came out throughout 2013 and list them on this here ol’ blog.

This year I decided to keep my list to only 10 albums.  That decision did not come too easy for me, so I am doing 11.  Deal.

All can be considered equally awesome and are listed in no particular order.  Trust me, this was difficult as hell to narrow down, but in the end, these were the  albums that really stuck with me throughout the year.

Worship This! – Tomorrow, I’ll Miss You

Iron Chic – The Constant One

Ma Jolie – Polars

Banquets – Banquets

The Flatliners – Dead Language

Worlds Scariest Police Chases – NOFX And Out Come The Wolves Dookie

Rumspringer – Stay Afloat

Two Hand Fools – Two Hand Fools
Two Hand Fools

Sundowner – Neon Fiction

Signals Midwest – Light On The Lake

Restorations – LP2

Best Group Effort:

Tony Sly: A Tribute

Props to all the bands out there that released albums in 2013.  I can not wait to see what 2014 brings.

Happy holidays to everyone.

 

Escapist Records Offering Up Free Downloads Until The End Of 2013!

This is too good to not share.  From now until you pass out in public on New Years Eve, Cleveland’s very own Escapist Records are offering up all their goodies for free download.

Escapist Records

This is your opportunity to snag fresh and free tunes by such amazing acts as:
Harvey Pekar
Sweet Weapons
Light Years
Foxfires
+ plenty more killer releases…

You can also grab the awesome tribute to Integrity for zero cents!  Of course you can name your price too, but I am sure most of us are broke right about now…

Head over to http://escapistrecords.bandcamp.com and thank me later.

 

Signals Midwest Announce Light On The Lake

Signals Midwest - Light on the LakeCleveland heartthrobs and beer snobs Signals Midwest recently announced they were dropping an all new album titled Light On The Lake in October.

This is the band’s second release on Tiny Engines and will be up for pre-order very soon.

I was blown away by their 2011 release Latitudes & Longitudes, and will admit that I can not wait to hear what they have to offer this round.

As if releasing the album is not enough, the band will be playing Pre-Fest and Fest at the end of October.

Signals Midwest

Check out this trailer made by Ben Hendricks of Annabel:

 

 

Album Review: Streaming Satellites – Slipstream

Sometimes I find out about bands the hard way and I miss out on them.  Other times, as in this case, I am given a proper heads up by someone who believes in the band and knows the world needs to hear them.  It’s my turn now to follow their lead and tell you all about a band called Streaming Satellites.

Already a big deal overseas, Austria’s Streaming Satellites are about to drop their sophomore release on Monday titled Slipstream, and all I can say about it is I have a feeling it will be grabbing some attention.  I really was caught off-guard with this release and was thinking after hearing they were an electronic-indie band that they would have sounded a lot different than what I was treated to.

Synth-heavy, indie rock with serious soul singing was my initial reaction about what Streaming Satellites  were all about.  Then I listened to them some more and started thinking about Pink Floyd, especially the female singing in many of their songs (someone please tell me you know what I am talking about).  Then I picked up some Dan Auerbach howls  and riffs hiding behind groovy 70s music.

I will admit, it took a moment for me to get into them and at first I was expecting more 90s Daft Punk with the opening track, but things soon shifted into an entirely different direction.  I loved “Timezone” with plenty of funk groove synch music layered under catchy indie rock jams. “No Sleep For The Damned” was almost too fuzzy, but it sounded just right.  “Shadows Collide” was astray from the others, but equally as entertaining.

Towards the end of the album, things get even better with a horn section playing and full out jam sessions.  Seriously, what is not to like about this?

Slipstream truly is full of a unique blend of music from today and yesteryear aimed at anyone who just likes to get down.  Max Borchardt really has a unique signing style that carries well throughout the release.  At times his voice reminds me of a calmer J. Roddy Walston as well as a younger Robert Plant.

I usually steer clear when I hear the words “Electronic” and “Indie” put together in a sentence, but this is different, and this is good.  Try not to let Slipstream sneak past you.  If you are looking for something a little different to check out, but full of music and styles similar to bands you your parents playing on the good ol’ turntable, you really owe it to yourself to check out Streaming Satellites.  They really are a unique band.