Former members of San Diego hardcore act The Plot to Blow Up the Eiffel Tower have formed the group Crocodiles. Another addition to the growing scene of noise rock coming out of California. Their track "I Wanna Kill" has been my spring time jam as of late. There are some definite shoegaze/lo-fi/noise pop/rock elements felt on this track; notably for fans of My Bloody Valentine or No Age.
The group has a few NYC dates lined up:
May 22 - Music Hall of Williamsburg
May 23 - Bowery Ballroom *both dates are in support of Holy Fuck and A Place To Bury Strangers
Last night our friends at the Metropolitan Social Club hosted their last ever party. These guys have been offering great opportunities to see live music at a great intimate and friendly space for a while now. The studio/loft was on the outskirts of East Williamsburg and was such a great space for up and coming bands. My previous trip out there was for friends in Bottle Up & Go and the always amazing Buke and Gass. Last night's line-up consisted of the Sarah Lawrence band Big Trees who absolutely blew me away. Their sound was something of Explosions in the Sky / Broken Social Scene / Most Serene Republic. Epic post-rock elements mixed with proper rock and jazz and killer duet singing from excellent female fronted vocalists. They have a west coast summer tour on the horizon and I highly recommend going to see these guys. They really captured the intimacy of the venue and were one of the tightest bands I've seen in a long time. It was great to see that they have already established a great fan base that was present throughout the show. While they were the opening highlight of the evening the band BoomSnake followed and presented a great show as well. This band was much more straight forward rock from San Diego and mixed in a little lo-fi quality, however the vocals were giving them some trouble and it was a little difficult to make out the words. My evening ended with friends in Tall Tales. I've seen this band before and although this was a different incarnation they still killed. They really capture the lo-fi and post-rock elements that made The Microphones so great and are really able to expand and make the sound their own. Definitely looking forward to future shows with these guys!
Today I was reminded, much to my excitement, that tomorrow is international Record Store Day. For those who are unaware, this event was created last year in attempts to re-popularize the dying record store. Tomorrow multiple special edition vinyl and cds will be released exclusively at independent record stores in order to remind people that buying music is not only important but still possible. It is now celebrated on the third Saturday of every April at select independent stores. Visit the website to see what special editions, as well as special live performances, will be available near you!
On April 8, 1994 it was discovered that Kurt Cobain, lead singer of grunge icons Nirvana, had committed suicide. 15 years later today is still a sad day in the music world. The impact that this band from Seattle had can still be felt today and Nirvana seems to be just as popular as ever. Kurt is still an icon and his name and face have still not gone away. Nirvana was one of my biggest influences in discovering new music and responsible for so many of the bands I listen to today. I can remember my dad listening to Nevermind and In Utero while I was growing up, and I still have a faint memory of my parents watching the Unplugged episode shortly after it was released. I can't really imagine what else this guy would have come out with if he was still around and how different music would be today. 15 years later and Kurt you are still missed.
In other news, April also marks the 15 year anniversary of the genocide of Rwanda. After the genocides of the Armenians and the Holocaust people still claimed "Never Again" yet here we are in 2009 fully aware of the events of the past and the current events in Sudan and other African nations. What will it take before we finally say enough? There is plenty people can do to become aware and make these actions stop. People in Sudan, Uganda, the Congo, and so many other places need help. Enough of this war on terror. Let's get the fuck out of Afghanistan and Iraq and go where people actually need and want our help.
