The Builders and The Butchers

Here's another great rock 'n' roll bluegrass band for you - The Builders and The Butchers from Portland. I've been meaning to write about these guys or a while. I first heard of them when they toured with my #1 talent-crush Amanda Palmer (swoon). They're in the midst of another tour right now, just played at Bell House here in Brooklyn last night and have a show on the Lower East Side TONIGHT. Here's the rest of their tour schedule:

July 31 - Pianos - New York, NY
August 1 - TT the Bears - Boston,MA
August 3 - Pike Room - Detroit, MI
August 4 - Brillobox - Pittsburgh, PA
August 5 - Circus - Columbus, OH
August 6 - Vollrath - Indianapolis, IN
August 7 - Lollapalooza - Chicago, IL
August 9 - Cafe Montmartre - Madison, WI
August 10 - 400 Bar - Minneapolis, MN
August 12 - Palace - Missoula, MT

Golden and Green [mp3] - (iTunes)

My First Earthquake

Here's a great single from San Francisco band My First Earthquake. This song actually doesn't really sound like most of the rest of their album (which is more electronic-y, poppy than this single's slightly hardcore The Faint meets Yeah Yeah Yeahs sound). Incidentally, The Faint have a new album coming out August 5th.

Lead singer Rebecca Bortman has a great rock 'n' roll voice. Their lyrics are a little silly, but fun. And this song is a good summer song to rock out to while driving with your windows down (or walking the streets of NYC in my case).

Cool in the Cool Way [mp3] - (iTunes)

Grey's Anatomy Predictions: Dala

The very first thing I thought when I heard this Toronto duo, Dala, was that they would definitely be perfect for the show Grey's Anatomy. The duo have apparently been BFFs since high school and started writing songs together in 2002. They're also pretty big in Canada from the looks of it. Some of the ballads are really beautiful and dramatic (perfect for those emotional life-and-death scenes) and then there's the playful "Levi Blues" that reminded me of other playful girl music that has been used in the show like Bitter:Sweet or Meko. I have to admit some of their songs are a tad bit cheesy if you listen to the lyrics, but I don't think this would matter in terms of soundtrack, and sometimes it's fun to let yourself be absorbed into slightly cheesy sentiments.

Levi Blues [mp3] - (iTunes)

Dan Black

If you're not familiar with this London/Parisian electronica musician to begin with, let me inform you that Dan Black's influences are Jay-Z and Sigur Ros, so we're already looking at a hot orchestral beat here. The track "Symphonies" was originally a cover of Notorious B.I.G.'s "Hypontize" with beats sampled from Rihanna's "Umbrella." When Black tried to release the track as a single, Biggie denied him the rights, so Black had to go back and rewrite the lyrics a little here and there, resulting in the new simple pop track, "Symphonies." The debut album, ((Un)), was released just last week in the UK and features some nice R&B electronica stompers.

Symphonies [mp3]
Symphonies (Passion Pit Remix) [mp3]

The Alvin Band

Thirty seconds into the song I had to ask myself, "wait...are there no instruments whatsoever?" and thirty more seconds brought the question, "wait...is this just one guy?"

Rick Alvin Schaier is the man behind the Alvin Band, and he does everything - bass, melody, percussion - everything, all by his onesie. Categorizing his music as simply a cappella would be an insult to Schaier, as his upcoming album Mantis Preying, which drops September 22nd, features playful melodies alongside inventive beats that transcends through the ear into the spectrum of lush organic indie music.

Billiards [mp3]

The Acorn

Sometimes I simply make my way through the perpetual musical bread crumbs of the friends-of-the-myspace-friends realm to find new music or bands I've never heard before. For me, that's the sole purpose of myspace - the possibility of great musical discovery. Sometimes I find them, other times not, and every now and then I end up at a band I'm already familiar with. Earlier this week I came across folk-rock Canadian-based The Acorn, a band I already knew and loved from the moment I heard their song "Crooked Legs." That song alone has accompanied me on many a road trip, beating through the mountains of Colorado, lushly swaying down to the Pacific shore of San Francisco and xylophoning across the plains of South Dakota (past the Corn Palace), so imagine my surprise when I saw that it only had a little over 4,000 listens. Atrocious. I came to GFP, certain I had already posted about them before, and discovered I had not. So allow me to rectify that at once and urge you to download this song and take it outside, whether it be walking through a city street or up a mountain or through the rain.

Crooked Legs [mp3] (iTunes)

Raveonettes on tour!

For those of you who didn't get to catch their awesome free set at Siren Fest, good news! The Raveonettes are going on tour:

Aug 9 – Lollapoloza, Chicago, IL
Oct 3 – ACL, Austin, TX
Oct 14 – Webster Hall, NY *
Oct 15 – Ottobar, Baltimore, MD *
Oct 16 – 9:30 Club, Washington DC *
Oct 17 – TLA, Philadelphia, PA *
Oct 18 – Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY *
Oct 20 – Paradise, Boston, MA *
Oct 21 – Club Soda, Montreal, QC *
Oct 22 – Phoenix, Toronto, ONT *
Oct 23 – Magic Stick, Detroit, MI *
Oct 26 – First Avenue, Minneapolis, MN *
Nov 5 – Venue, Vancouver, BC
Nov 6 – Neumo’s, Seattle, WA
Nov 7 – Doug Fir, Portland, OR
Nov 9 – Bimbo’s, San Francisco, CA
Nov 10 – Detroit Bar, Costa Mesa, CA
Nov 12 – Belly Up, Solana Beach, CA
Nov 13 – Henry Fonda Theatre, Los Angeles, CA
Nov 14 – Glasshouse, Pomona, CA
Nov 15 – Beauty Bar, Las Vegas, NV
* w/The Black Angels

Dead Sound [mp3] - (iTunes)

The Working Title

The Working Title is an apt name for a band that’s songs range from folky, dramatic ballad to gritty rock number to screaming percussive head-bang-worthy punk. Just when you think you can define their sound, they change it up. They have everything from the down-and-dirty guitar stylings of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, to the driving percussion and piano of White Rabbits, to the "can’t help but tap your foot" poppiness of Spoon, the drama of Queen, the childrens’ toy sounds of Psapp, the beautiful boy-girl vocal harmonies of Mates of State (yes, I know there's no girl pictured here but I swear she's on the album), and I’m sure I could go on but hopefully you get the point.

Even in just my first listen through of this CD, I was thinking to myself “where has this band been all my life?” It’s as if they took aspects from many of the bands I love and put them all into one band just for me. Honestly, I like almost every song on their album and I find it incredibly hard to believe that this Charleston band that so quickly stole my heart was abandoned by Universal Records ("they parted amicably" after the release of their first full-length record). Then again, The Working Title in its new independent form also only has one of its original members, so perhaps this release is different (no, I haven’t searched it out yet, though I will).

The band's sophomore release, Bone Island, has been available digitally for a while but has only become available through good ol' fashioned physical distribution as of July 21st.

Physical Love [mp3] - (iTunes)

God Help The Girl

God Help The Girl is the brainchild of Bell & Sebastian's frontman Stuart Murdoch. Murdoch said, "I was out for a run and I got this tune in my head and it occurred to me that it wasn't a Bell & Sebastian song. I could hear female voices and strings, I could hear the whole thing, but I just couldn't envisage myself singing it with the group." The debut album features the likes of Neil Hannon (Divine Comedy) and the vocals of three different female singers who made it past the audition process, Brittany Stallings, Dina Bankole and Catherine Ireton. The title track below features a more sixties flair with Ireton's vocals, but the album itself exhibits a large compass of genres, from classic pop to 80's indie. Plus, turns out Murdoch is using this as the basis and soundtrack for a movie of the same name, so I highly recommend you check it out.

God Help The Girl [mp3] (iTunes)

I Need To Become Best Friends With This Man

Jupiter One

Jupiter One is not just similar to the name of a spaceship from the 60's show Lost In Space, it's also a quartet of 20-year olds who craft guitar-oriented indie pop-rock numbers that kick. Their upcoming album Sunshower drops September 15th, and the first single from the album, "Flaming Arrow" features acoustic guitars, drum rhythm that would inspire anyone to do the Carlton dance (no seriously, watch this without the volume and play the song over it), and some really nicely placed strings.

Flaming Arrow [mp3] (iTunes)

Fruit Bats

This one's been making its way throughout the blogosphere as of late, so I best get to mentioning it. The Fruit Bats are a folk-rock band that well accustomed to the music scene - they first started in the 1990's and fully formed in early 2000. In 2002 they signed with Sub Pop records after touring with the likes of Modest Mouse, Iron and Wine and The Shins. Now, 4 years since their last CD, the Fruit Bats are releasing their newest album, The Ruminant Band, on August 4th. They'll also be engaged in a busy two month tour starting in August, and you can check out the details on their myspace to see if your town is one of the lucky ones.

But for now, enjoy the toe-tapping, slightly-bucolic, folk-rock title track.

The Ruminant Band [mp3]

Some Upcoming Tour Dates of Note:
August 26 - Spaceland - L.A., CA
Sept 11- Black Cat- Washington, DC
Sept 14 - Music Hall of Williamsburg - Brooklyn, NY

Dirty Projectors FREE Williamsburg Waterfront show today!

Another free summer show for our NYC readers: the infamous McCarren Park Pool Parties have been moved to the Williamsburg Waterfront. Today is one of the few days I am really looking forward to: Dirty Projectors are headlining. So go, play some dodgeball, and enjoy a free show on a beautiful day.

No More [mp3] - (iTunes)

Siren Music Festival TOMORROW!

Hey New Yorkers! This free, all day music festival sponsored by the Village Voice is taking place once again at Coney Island. While the line up isn't as impressive as in former years (at least in my opinion), it's sure to be a fun day and you should hit up Coney Island in its current form before they "develop" it. Here's the lineup.

TONIGHT'S Recommended Show: Savoir Adore @ Cameo Gallery

This one's for the New Yorkers -- if I was in the city tonight I'd be at Savoir Adore's album release party for In The Wooded Forest. It's the band's debut on Cantora Records (also home to MGMT), and it comes hot on the heels of the 3-song Machines EP that dropped back in May.

The show is at Cameo Gallery in Brooklyn, and you get a free copy of the album with $10 admission.

Check out this video for "Sarah's Secret," my personal favorite from In The Wooded Forest:

Savoir Adore // "Sarah's Secret" Studio Session from Cantora Records on Vimeo.

Predictions: Grey's Anatomy Music

Barnaby Bright. The vocals are stellar. The instrumentation rich amongst picked acoustic guitars. This almost home-spun front porch version of The Weepies begs to be heard on a rainy night during an episode of personal reflection, as Nathan and Rebecca Bliss wrote their first full-length album Wake The Hero with the intent of conveying honesty and hitting "the heart, not the head." It's beautiful, softly dramatic music - take a listen.

Begging My Weakness [mp3] (iTunes)

Lost in the Trees

Lost in the Trees is an orchestral indie pop/rock group from N. Carolina led by smooth-voiced Ari Picker. As a firm believer that variety is the spice of life, I find myself really digging this 10-piece band. Their music ranges from soft, sweet acoustic singer-songwriter type stuff to grand, dramatic orchestral overtures. Then there's also a few catchy rock 'n' roll numbers, like my favorite track, "Fireplace," from last year's album, All Alone in an Empty House.

Fireplace [mp3] - (iTunes)

NYC Ticket Giveaway: Miracles of Modern Science TOMORROW

A last minute ticket giveaway for our NYC readers: Miracles of Modern Science are playing at Pianos (on the Lower East Side) tomorrow night. The first person to email us get 'em!

MR2 [mp3] - (iTunes)

Win breakfast with Third Eye Blind

This Friday, Third Eye Blind are playing live on Good Morning America and they’re running a contest for fans to design posters showing off their support. One winner will be selected from the audience (at the end of the set) to have breakfast with the band backstage after the show.

The rules are as follows:
- Signs about Third Eye Blind, their album Ursa Major, etc. are obviously encouraged
- No advertising of products
- No company or commercial logos
- No foul language

Fans can line up to get into the performance at Rumsfield Park in Central Park at 6 AM.
Third Eye Blind will start their performance around 7 AM.

Anna Ternheim

This is the first single from Anna Ternheim's upcoming album Leaving On A Mayday, which drops August 11th. I've seriously come to believe that it's basically impossible for Anna to make a song I don't like, so take a listen and check out the tour dates below - she's touring with Loney Dear, who stole my heart when Em & I saw them live, and Asobi Seksu this fall. Oh yeah, and her album features a monkey dressed up like an English lad ready for winter. She's pretty much awesome.

What Have I Done [mp3] (iTunes)

09.30.09 – Casbah – San Diego, CA
10.01.09 – Troubador – Los Angeles, CA
10.02.09 – Slims – San Francisco, CA
10.03.09 – Doug Fir Lounge – Portland, OR
10.04.09 – Chop Suey – Seattle, WA
10.06.09 – Biltmore Cabaret – Vancouver, BC
10.09.09 – 7th Street Entry – Minneapolis, MN
10.10.09 – Bottom Lounge – Chicago, IL
10.11.09 – Grog Shop – Cleveland, OH
10.12.09 – Horseshoe Tavern – Toronto, ON
10.13.09 – Il Motore – Montreal, Quebec
10.14.09 – Great Scott – Boston, MA
10.15.09 – Maxwells – Hoboken, NJ
10.16.09 – Bowery Ballroom – New York, NY
10.17.09 – Johnny Brendas – Philadelphia, PA

EXCLUSIVE KaiserCartel behind-the-scenes video!!!

Today it is my pleasure to announce a new facet to the Guilt Free Pleasures blog - video! Since I am a filmmaker by occupation, I thought it was about time to put my skills to use here and I'm hoping to create one behind-the-scenes video each month. Our first video features Brooklyn duo KaiserCartel. I spent a few hours with them while they went about their day and put the finishing touches on some new songs, so here is an exclusive sneak peak at some new material and their song-writing process:

Season Song [mp3] - (iTunes)

Also, KaiserCartel is coming out with a 5-song EP on September 1st, so be on the lookout for that! Those in Minneapolis should catch their show THIS Thursday at the Bryant Lake Bowl. Details on their myspace.

Obligatory Uke Song: Elliott BROOD

We all know by this point that I'm in love with ukulele, so it should come to no surprise that I immediately fell for the folk-rock Elliott BROOD, a band that features the uke on their successful album Mountain Meadows. The BROOD have just been selected as one of the top 10 candidates for the Polaris Prize Shortlist, a Canadian award that selects one album to be considered the best Canadian album of the year. The song is also perfect for those breezy summer days, whether you're out cleaning your garage, hanging with friends, barbecuing or what have you. For those uke-inclined, the tabs can be found at my favorite uke website, the ukehunt.

The Valley Town [mp3] (iTunes)

Dr. Dog & These United States @ Prospect Park

On June 27th I mosied on over to Prospect Park to Celebrate Brooklyn with These United States. It was great to see them in such a big venue, as the last time I saw them was in one of the smaller downstairs rooms at the Knitting Factory. These guys know how to rock ‘n’ roll and they did a great job of getting the audience pumped. People were dancing in the aisles or even in their seats. Although I have to say I wish some of the audience weren’t as pumped as they were – there was a small group of obnoxious men who thought it was witty and hilarious to yell “USA! USA! USA!” every 5 minutes for most of their set. Here's an mp3 from their upcoming album, due out in August/September.

I Want You To Keep Everything [mp3]

It was also unfortunate the they were followed by Phosphorescent, who I personally thought killed the energy from These United States’ set and left Dr. Dog with a lot more work to do to get the audience’s energy back up. Not to say that they were bad, it was much more of a programming error in my opinion - I didn’t think they fit in well with the rest of the line-up, which was mostly upbeat, while they're songs were slower than molasses and they couldn’t really hold my attention because I was so in the mood to rock out after These United States.

Cocaine Lights [mp3] - (iTunes)

Dr. Dog was a lot of fun. The stage was decorated quite nicely with flowers for them and they had a huge, devoted fan base turn out in droves. The Philly band is a bonafide indie sensation, and while I wasn’t all that familiar with them, I could see why at the show. Their music is really infectious and the whole audience was bopping and singing along. And any band that brings a dog on stage with them gets bonus points in my book (and that dog is so well-behaved, letting the tons of audience members crowding the stage pet him). All in all a fabulous night.

The Old Days [mp3] - (iTunes)

More photos here.

William Kunstler: Against the Universe and other Sundance releases

About 2 weeks ago (yes, I’m a bit behind on my reviews) I attended Rooftop Films screening of William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe, a documentary that played at Sundance this past January but which I did not get a chance to see while I was there. The film is an intimate look into the life of legendary lawyer and civil rights activist William Kunstler, who took on many controversial cases and threw himself into many intense situations. You might know his name from the Chicago Seven case, or perhaps as a negotiator from the prison takeover at Attica, or maybe the Central Park Jogger case, or still yet the standoff at Wounded Knee between Native Americans and the government. As the filmmakers say in the film, it seemed like he was involved in every important legal event in the second half the 20th century.

The filmmakers are Kunstler’s daughers, so they have as much access as you could possibly want and they remain open throughout the film about their biases. In fact, the film is in many ways more about the evolution of their opinions about and relationships with their father (deceased in 1995) than it is about just him. You follow their journey as they try to understand why it is that he took the cases that he did and come to accept his decisions that they may not have agreed with at the time.

Not only is it an intriguing portrait of William Kunstler, but it is also a really great window into some of the most controversial moments of civil rights history in the 20th century. You really get a sense of the feelings of those involved in these landmark events. You feel their fear, their disappointment, their excitement. Although, I will warn you that this film will make you distrust and dislike the government. It does not shine a positive light on those in power in these turbulent times. But some of the best films are the ones that aren’t afraid to speak the truth of ugly situations, even when you might prefer to be left in the dark. One of the most important uses of film is to expose problems in the world to a larger audience so that people can begin to affect change. And this documentary will definitely inspire you to try to go out and affect change, even if you can’t do it on as grand a scale as William Kunstler.

On a related note, since I’m on the subject of films from Sundance’s 2009 film festival (see 1, 2, 3, 4 entries from January), I should add that one of the films I saw there, Push, is being released in November. I saw a poster for it in a movie theater this past weekend. The title has been changed to Precious (probably a wise move on their part so that it wouldn’t get confused with the action movie that came out this past winter). An incredibly dark but simultaneously uplifting movie, I’m interested to see if they keep it intact the way I saw it originally or if they change a lot and take some of the more gruesome or depressing parts out. I certainly hope they don’t, and from the trailer it doesn't look like they did. This was one of the best films I saw at Sundance. Don't be turned off by all the pop stars you see in the credits. Mariah Carey (who is barely recognizable in the film) and Lenny Kravits did a good job in their relatively small roles.

Speaking of musicians on film - also a notable release that I saw while I was there, especially since this is a music blog, is the release of rock documentary It Might Get Loud, featuring Jack White, The Edge and Jimmy Paige.

Other Sundance films coming out that I didn't have the privilege of seeing while I was there: In The Loop, Humpday, Five Minutes of Heaven, Spread, Moon, 500 Days of Summer, Shrink, Cold Souls, The Cove, and End of the Line.

Show Review: Avi Buffalo @ The Echo, 7/1/09

Kicked off the month of July last Wednesday with somewhat-local indie rockers Avi Buffalo, or Avi Buffalo Music. You might remember them from this LA Love entry, but if not, here's the Cliff's Notes version: 4 high school students from Long Beach, CA play awesomely crafted [and sometimes long-winded] songs about love and life with a perspective you might never have thought possible from an 18-year-old songwriter. I can't help but find some kind of ironic humor in a song called, "I'm Getting Too Old For This," but Avi's delivery is so sincere that the only way you'd know they were so young is by looking at them.

Most of the house had cleared out by the time Avi Buffalo was ready to play, which is just the bad luck of getting the post-headliner slot on a weeknight, and not a reflection on the band at all. It's a shame more people didn't stay, because this was a great show.

I was much more impressed than the last time I saw them at the Echo, back in May when they had the Tuesday night residency. That night they'd played a set of all-new material with a much more experimental bent, but tonight they were back to their old selves. They played my 2 favorite Avi songs, "What's In It For" and "Where's Your Dirty Mind," and even stuck around for an encore performance of "Summer Cum." I don't have an mp3 of "I'm Getting Too Old For This," so I'd forgotten how good it was, and Rebecca Sheridan's Nord Electro keyboard washes were perfect.



I love how focused and serious these guys are mid-song, and Avi's humble little comments between songs. Unless they're getting into a crazy loud balls-to-the-wall instrumental ending, not one of them is big on showmanship or calling extra attention to themselves. And they don't really have to be, because the music speaks for itself.

Avi and Rebecca's vocals were in top form, and it's really cool to see a band with male/female vocal harmonies that aren't your typical indie rock duet, where you can easily pick out the low and high ends -- rather, the two voices together are like listening to one voice, both in a higher register but with Avi's howl-like falsetto resting on top. The effect is almost ghostly, and one of the coolest things about Avi Buffalo.

I was endlessly impressed by Wednesday's set and totally glad I stuck it out til after midnight. If you're in the LA area, you should try to catch them at one of their many local dates in July and August, starting with the Silverlake Lounge next Monday night.

Blonde Redhead @ Prospect Park

Not quite two weeks ago I had the privilege of seeing Blonde Redhead at Prospect Park. Opening for her was Icelandic songstress Olof Arnalds. Considering she was on that big stage all by herself, playing for an audience that had been thinned out by rain, she performed quite well. She was adorable and has a very sweet voice. Her set was punctuated with cute stories in between songs. And of course she did an acoustic MJ tribute with the song Billy Jean. All in all a strong set under not ideal circumstances.

Blonde Redhead was great. Despite the rain clouds looming overhead, the true fans came out and the place was relatively full by the time they went on (and luckily, it didn’t rain anymore that night). This was the first time I’d had the privilege of seeing them live and the duo is quite captivating. It was very cool to see them in Prospect Park because their full, surging sound really filled up the space and floated nicely amongst the trees and audience. It was a fun, relaxed atmosphere – a perfect summery Friday night. And I have to say, the clouds were looking pretty cool (albeit a little apocalyptic) as the sun set:

Við og Við [mp3] - Ólöf Arnalds (iTunes)
Spring and by Summer Fall [mp3] - Blonde Redhead (iTunes)

Team William

You know a song has made an impact when you mindlessly sing part of it while doing something completely mundane, like, oh I don't know, perusing the books at the public library when everyone else is completely dead quiet or something like that. Needless to say my rendition of the line "Oh my god we tried to steal a landmine!" made me a few new friends, including the security guard not 10 feet from me, but I digress. Below is a track from a Belgium-based indie-pop-rock band called Team William who released their self-entitled debut album earlier last month. After checking out their photos on their myspace, it looks like these guys give one hell of an energetic show, so I hope they head over to the states soon for a tour.

70 [mp3] (iTunes)

The Generationals

This New Orleans-based band will release their album Con Law on July 21st and are currently touring with Floating Action this summer. Tour dates can be found on their myspace (and there's a ton of shows, mostly through the west and south). The Generationals consist of Ted Joyner and Grant Widmer, both previously from Eames Era. The album was recorded in style of producer Daniel Black's heroes - Quincy Jones and Phil Spector, for example- in order to give it that old sizzing pop-rock sound. The band features 12-string electric guitars, synth-bass, 8-bit sequencers, trumpet, hand-claps and shakers to get things going.

When They Fight, They Fight [mp3]
Wildlife [mp3]

Interview With Republic Tigers' Adam McGill

We've posted about Republic Tigers before on GFP, and I was able to catch their stellar show in Minneapolis at the Fine Line Music Cafe back in April when they opened for Travis (personal opinion? Much better than Travis, plus they did an amazing cover of "Heart of Glass"). Adam McGill was kind enough to take a break from their current busy tour to answer a few of GFP's questions about the band.

Ok, to start things off...if you could only describe your sound in five words, what would they be?

5 words? Hmmmmm.... here we go: decent, alright, pretty good, eh, ok.

What are your top influences/albums/songs of the moment?

My personal favorites are kind of weird. Right now I'm really into old bollywood stuff like Kishor Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar, Rajesh Khanna etc. I'll always have a soft spot for the arrangements of Ennio Morriconne, Michel Legrand, and Krzysztof Komeda. All of the artists I just mentioned have extremely interesting arrangements that I feel should make a larger impact on modern music than they currently do. As far as bands that exist currently,.... that's a tough one. I always enjoy anything that Air does. I'm still listening to Portishead's "Third." I'm still listening to Arcade Fire's "Neon Bible." I tend to get annoyed with "current" music. I'll listen to a record over and over for a month or two after it's released and then if it stands the test of repeated listening that's a good sign.

How did it come about that you were the first band to be signed to Chop Shop Records, founded by the infamous music supervisor Alexandra Patsavas? I heard something about your Myspace playing a part.

That's exactly right. One of the girls in the Chop Shop office (Brittany Warfield) heard us on Myspace and showed it to Alexandra. She liked what she heard and the rest is rock 'n' roll history.

How did the album Keep Color get its title?

We pulled that title from lyrics to our song title "Contortionists". That phrase "Keep Color" seemed like it had many different possible meanings, and we like the way it looks and sounds when you read it.

Which comes first for you, the music or the lyrics? Or do they come hand-in-hand?

Typically the music comes first. However, Kenn keeps a lyric book on hand and anytime something pops into his head he jots it down. When one of us presents an idea to the rest of the band oftentimes Kenn will remember a page of lyrics that may work for that particular piece of music and we take it from there.

What has been your favorite moment as a band thus far?

That's a tough question. I think my favorite "band moment" was when we were released from being detained by customs while we were on tour in the UK. We didn't have our visas properly worked out so we were being deported. We were actually boarding our plane to go back to the U.S. when security received a phone call that our visas came through. They pulled us off the plane and escorted us into the country. It was such a wonderful moment in part because of the prior 26 hours of terrible despair. However, that doesn't tarnish the overwhelming joy we felt to be free and on our way to tour a new country. That's the happiest I've felt for a very long time.

Any quirky traditions/superstitious rituals that you guys do while on tour?

Hmmmm,... no, not really. The closest thing I can think of is the almost religious morning and evening shower routines of Kenn and Justin.

What can we expect from you in the future? I know there's been desire to release an annual 8-song EP if you could...is that going to become a reality?

Hopefully people can expect a lot from us in the future. We're beginning to work on our next record. So far the new songs are pretty amazing. I feel like many of them in the early stages are better than songs we've written previously and spent a long time developing. That 8 song EP a year idea sounds great. However, that's tough to do while we're touring regularly. If we were another band with less obsessive members we'd have no problems doing that. Unfortunately, we're so obsessive we make Larry David look like the Fonz.

And finally, we have to ask, what's your guilt-free pleasure?

Everything I do is done "guilt free."

Flashback Friday: Arnim-Hamilton

This extremely rare two-song vinyl Pepperman/Walking Midnight Coffee Break was released 1970 by duo Charles Arnim and Paul Hamilton. It was produced by the International Artists label, which at the time was known for garage and philosophical psych rather than the Bealtes-esque rock-pop that the Arnim-Hamilton album contained. There's hardly anything online about the album or of the duo themselves, but it seems like "Pepperman" was written by Hamilton and "Walking" by Arnim. Since this album is so rare, it has become a popular item within various mod collector circles and again, there's not much information out there about this group. The "Pepperman" track is considered to be one of "The Great Singles" of the label and is one of my all-time personal favorites.

Pepperman [mp3]

Apollo Run

This has to be another quick one today...

I had the privilege of seeing Apollo Run play a show with Julius C at the Knitting Factory (one of the last shows at its original location before they close and move to a smaller location) a few weeks ago and also hanging out with them backstage (check back later this summer to see some behind-the-scenes video from the show). The handsome group of guys definitely impressed me with their catchy, dramatic rock tunes, as well as their CatchPhrase abilities (yes, I mean the game CatchPhrase). I know I already said this, but they have a show tonight at Bell House, and they are definitely worth catching (as are The Hard Lessons, my favorite Detroit rock trio). Here are some photos from the Apollo Run set at Knitting Factory, taken by my dear friend Wai Choy, as well as another track to sample:

Rhiannon [mp3] - (iTunes)