There are some sounds that will forever resonate with us and vibrate beneath/against our thoughts. Up and coming indie band, Milo Greene, reshuffles sounds common to the genre, but in a way that makes their songs worthy of space on your repeat playlist. I recently saw them live at the Hammer Museum’s “I Also Like To Rock” event.
Chinashop’s own Zoetica Ebb has developed a really cool concept – D4RT, a mobile art class that brings art workshops, supplies and public art projects to impoverished communities all over the world.
The first installment is going to take place this September in Yantaló, Peru and Zoetica needs support to make it happen. Check out the Kickstarter Video below, contribute what you can, and help spread the word!
The big release this week is the debut of Moonface, the solo project of Spencer Krug from Wolf Parade…Fountains of Wayne will be going strong forever thanks solely to the success of “Stacy’s Mom”…Nekromantix win Best Album Title award with What Happens in Hell, Stays in Hell…and Keb Mo’s new one is The Reflection, already garnering some heavy praise for its warm, bluesy sounds. See ya next week.
Boston Spaceships – Let It Beard
Fountains of Wayne – Sky Full Of Holes
John Hiatt - Dirty Jeans & Mudslide Hymns
The Duke & The King – The Duke & The King
Tig Notaro - Good One
Bury Your Dead - Mosh & Roll
Trace Atkins - Proud To Be Here
O.A.R. - King
Nekromantix – What Happens In Hell, Stays In Hell
Moonface – Organ Music Not Vibraphone Like I’d Hoped
Keb Mo - The Reflection
Greyson Chance - Hold On ‘Til The Night
Direct Hit - Domesplitter
Party Supplies is a one-man project by songwriter/remixer/producer, Justin Nealis. The innovative music maker employs the use of an MPC 1000 drum machine, loops, and samples to create his experimental sound. Prior to dabbling with original material, Nealis began to make a name for himself with several Internet success remixes for high profile acts like Fitz and the Tantrums and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. Not a singer by nature, Nealis recorded a bunch of love songs out of his Brooklyn apartment studio but sat on them for a while, admitting the vocals were not strong enough to be released. A 12-song zip file of Nealis’s love songs eventually ended up in the hands of Fools Gold who, after giving the demos a listen, saw potential and instantly decided to take a chance on the project. After years of developing his material, Nealis is finally living out his dream of professionally recording his songs and fine-tuning his vocals.
During a break in recording at Red Bull Studios, Nealis gave ChinaShop the rundown on Party Supplies.
Picture the motley imagination of Where The Wild Things Are mixed with the quixotic, avant garde world of Fischerspooner. Throw in the patience and immersion of a method actor. Then strip it all down and build it back up using a boutique, DIY aesthetic. This, in a nutshell, is how NewVillager have approached their craft. Are they artists? Yes, and not just in the musical sense. Ben Bromley and Ross Simonini—along with a cast of characters spread between San Francisco, Brooklyn, and all points in between—are just as keen on creating elaborate art installations as they are three-minute tunes. Are they musicians? Totally, yet their record is chock-a-block with big hooks and indie pop melody. Nothing is over your head, yet the band talks, almost reverentially, about a “mythology” they adhere to; something intrinsically connected to the way in which they form new creative ideas.
I felt tired strolling toward the line forming in front of the famous and previously dormant “Palace Theatre” on the opening night of Lucent Dossier, but one step toward the rabbit hole that is Lucent Dossier, and I, like the Palace, was awakened from my slumber.
Ok, that’s a bit dramatic, but the card flipping magician, top hat wearing stilts man and operatic press facilitator welcoming the gathering South Broadway line immersed me into their crafted “experience” before I had even entered the building… and that’s more than you can say about most formulaic entertainment “experiences.”
On Thursday, 200 lucky comic enthusiasts were treated to a very special event at Meltdown Comics: an evening with renegade author and culture analyst, Grant Morrison.
It’s Mad Lib Monday at ChinaShop, where they fill in the blanks and we make up the rest. Check out our exclusive portraits and listen to some brand new music.