I'm not even going to be in town, so luckily I don't have to choose - but this Saturday you have the choice between seeing the venerable punk/pop Thermals at the Beachland Ballroom ($13~$15) with Total Babes opening ~~ OR ~~ Cleveland's own gem, Seafair, with their EP Release show at the Grog Shop ($8) with Humble Home & Goodmorning Valentine opening. If you remember, Seafair was a favorite at the Brite Winter Festival this past year. I've also seen Thermals 3 times now (2010, 2009, 2007 - one on each blog iteration!) in case you want some background on them. Granted these are not all that close on the musical spectrum - so that may decide for you. Both sets of openers are great as well…
One of the best events of the Summer in Cleveland! Very excited to see Phosphorescent as the opening act!!
Summer in the City Concert Series | The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum
This is the summer to rock, and Summer in the City, the Rock Hall’s FREE live concert series, returns this season to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. Beginning on Wednesday, July 17th some of the country’s most buzzed about up and coming artists will perform on the Museum plaza (weather permitting, if necessary it will be moved inside to the Main Stage), and concessions will be available for purchase from the Museum and local food trucks on the plaza, as well.
Each Summer in the City artist or band has been invited to blog on rockhall.com/blog to share their experiences with fans: how they got started, their inspirations, their aspirations for the future and what their thoughts are on performing in Cleveland at the Museum.
Wednesday, July 17 from 7-10 p.m.: Phosphorescent (opening band TBA) Wednesday, July 31 from 7-10 p.m.: Father John Misty with Night Moves Wednesday, August 14 from 7-10 p.m.: Coliseum with Above This Fire Wednesday, August 28 from 7-10 p.m.: Lottery League Summer Grand Finale"
If you weren't at the Passion Pit show on this Monday night, you were probably here at the House of Blues for the Foals / Surfer Blood show. I would have mentioned blondfire as the first opener - who I wanted to see - but we ended up going on a gorgeous walk around downtown Cleveland!
Surfer Blood took the stage and to my surprise, these boys were a little nerdier than I was expecting. Like, they were the nerds who made it "big" (please note I'm using the term nerd with all due admiration and endearment). They were fun - have some good songs - but didn't really blow me away. Not sure they'd be a headliner act, though I may be swayed if they show up in another venue (and depending on how their new album sounds, coming out soon).
Foals took the stage in a drawn out, yet anti-climactic fashion. Which, I have to say was similar to their show. Well, that sounds bad. I think Foals is a phenomenal live band, but this is another one of those situations where they were "neutered" by the venue. Their Beachland Ballroom show was off the hook and a dancefest. This one, not so much. I blame the sound, and what the hell - I'll blame Passion Pit for probably taking most of the people who dance in this town. So basically, it wasn't their fault. I'll still see them, but hopefully they hit a different venue next time.
Some great stuff this week. Wild Nothing with a dreamy pop video for a dreamy pop song. Young Galaxy is up with another great pop song & video for Pretty Boy. Finally… OMG! New Austra!! (with a video for Home).
Bonus this week is the new Tegan & Sara. I'm still getting acclimated to their new polished pop sound (a bit jarring for me), and they don't back down from that style with this super sleek video.
Originally started as a New Find post, it's now turning into a New Release one. I stumbled on these guys a while back and have been enjoying them ever since. Check 'em out.
Band To Watch: Wampire - Stereogum
"Portland exports Wampire are a long time in the making. The duo, comprised of Rocky Tinder and Eric Phipps, have been playing music together since they were in middle school — ‘we started jamming in 2001,’ says Tinder — in their hometown Keizer, OR. While this is a lengthy amount of time to have under their belts as collaborators, it was only recently that they finessed their sound into what is ultimately the make-up of their upcoming Polyvinyl debut full-length Curiosity.
When the guys were around 19 — they’re 25 now — they started to become staples of the house party scene in Portland. ‘At first it was just the two of us dicking around and writing songs and just like playing funny house shows where we were like, in the corner, as far back crammed as we could be,’ Tinder says of their first real foray into a scene. But while they enjoyed the performance aspect of they were doing, it wasn’t the actual music they wanted to make. ‘At that time, 2007 through 2009, the wild shitty house show was at its absolute climax,’ says Tinder. ‘For us to bring our own P.A. and blast as backing track and [play] guitars and get everybody dancing was ideal then but a couple years later we’re like, you know, besides just loving the parties we were never super into that.’ So they dismantled their party sludge prowess and began carving out something that made sense to them.
There’s no real direct line to that sound. It’s bass-heavy indie-pop macabre, at times, like their track ‘The Hearse,’ which sounds like it belongs on a dive bar’s jukebox where Bela Lugosi slings the drinks. But it’s never schtick-y, despite the constant rotation of which elements are at play. Curiosity feels exactly like it comes from a band who halted their tenure as shlocky, screaming house show fixtures who took the time to actually mature and retool their love of electronics and rock music into a kaleidoscopic package. ‘It’s a weird album and it’s a little chew and swallow,’ says Tinder, but the bouquet of sounds are indicative of the time they took to craft it — and sometimes those projects take time to sit with, as a listener, as well."
Great history of Cleveland music, focusing on the Agora and WMMS. Fun stuff.
'Hello Cleveland!' Documentary Explores 70s Music Scene: UPDATE | Scene and Heard: Scene's News Blog
"'Hello Cleveland!' is making the rounds online, presenting a magical era of our city's past. The documentary highlights the unique elements of Cleveland's music scene in the 1970s. The Agora and WMMS both figure into the storyline heavily."
Tomorrow is the return of Telekinesis! Originally catching them opening up for Somebody Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin back in 2010, they were great and I'm looking forward to a repeat performance. Their new Dormarion release is excellent - a great poppy, rock record.
Tomorrow is the Foals / Surfer Blood show at the House of Blues ($20), and all three acts should be great. Let's start chronologically: Opening is US/Brazilian brother & sister duo Blondfire:
Definitely worth getting there early for. Next up is Surfer Blood with a new album dropping soon. Here's a video:
Finally Foals, which I have to say I forgot how much I liked these guys last time - so I'm even more excited to see them again. Here's their new (NSFW) video for Late Night (it's pretty intense):
This show first caught my attention because of The Hood Internet. I've been listening to these guys for quite a while, and even saw them before at the B-Side. Knowing Hood Internet well, I quickly switched my focus to the actual headliner (Black Moth Super Rainbow) and immediately picked up on their enigmatic presence in the music industry. I was intrigued, but not blown away… but was definitely looking forward to the show.
The Hood Internet (no longer a duo?) was good. The mixes were upbeat with the trademark blend of indie pop rock & rap. My only critique would be the lack of danceability… it skirts around it and teases you, but just doesn't quite close the deal
So I'm going to regress here for a minute with BMSR. I guess I was expecting a mysterious, dark, and odd-looking lead singer. I was shocked to see this beefy, attractive guy sheepishly hidden behind this monitor and producing the trademark vocals while turning knobs and pressing keys. Not at all what I was expecting. What I also wasn't expecting was how consistently good the whole show was! I honestly only spent cursory time with their new Cobra Juicy release, but listening to it now after seeing them live, is quickly becoming a new favorite. Once I was able to get past the vocal treatments, the quality of the actual music is quite refreshing.
In addition to the lead singer being hidden, visually - not one word was spoken to the audience. And as you'd expect, none of the photos came out either - probably something they mysteriously made happen as well.
