The Beachland Tavern. $8 advance / $10 at the door. Door at 8:00pm. I'll be there...
Rubblebucket says 'yes' to anything-goes sound | cleveland.com
File the music of Rubblebucket under 'yes wave' -- as opposed to the noisy 'no wave' movement of the 1970s. 'We've been hearing people talk about 'the yes wave,' ' saxophone-playing lead singer Kalmia Traver said during a recent phone interview.
'Look at the popularity of Phoenix or Animal Collective or St. Vincent. . . . So much amazing music is coming into prominence. It's melodious and harmonious, and it's OK to be positive and happy.'"
Rubblebucket Kalmia Traver, right, and Alex Toth front the hard-to-peg, easy-to-love band Rubblebucket. 'The music we're playing is specifically designed to uplift people,' Traver said.
I knew after their performance at the Beachland back in 2011, that this would be a must see show. Besides, I can’t tell you enough how much I've been loving their single Carousel Ride off their new album! And this was going to be a great night of music, with Mal Devisa and Punch Drunk Tagalongs opening. Punch Drunk Tagalongs are a “singer/songwriter driven melodic indie grunge rock band out of Cleveland.” I kind of felt they had a Lissie vibe. I’d totally see these guys again!
I might have been as excited for Mal Devisa as I was for Rubblebucket. Her new album, which I could only find on Bandcamp, Check it out! It ranges from these sparse and smoky vocal tracks, to more raucous and aggressive tracks. Stunning. Her performance brought those great vocals, but we were spared the harsh electronics and rap tracks - unfortunately. Still, she provided a stunning diversion.
OMG Rubblebucket. They are a total party on stage. During the show I met this very emphatic hippie who had been following this band around - and I can see why. Their energy is just infectious.
As the popularity of Rubblebucket has grown, so has their stage performance. Lots of horns and synchronized dance routines, Rubblebucket delighted once again at the Beachland Ballroom with their quirky art pop sound.
Opening was And The Kids. A solid performance, despite their struggles in finding a bass player (we chatted after their performance).
I’ve seen Rubblebucket plenty of times before (2011, 2016, 2018), but as the first couple seconds of this video shows - they put on a spectacle when they perform. Of course the music continues to be great too. I mean how can you not love Stella the Begonia??
As like last time, Hannah Mohan (All The Kids) opened for them. She continues to have a cool indie sound about her.
Honestly, I was a little desperate. It had been early two weeks since a show and I was getting an itch. I had heard a little about Rubblebucket on the internets, but didn't really have an album that I could connect with. I had actually been listening to their Triangular Daises EP on MOG, and loving "Come out of a Lady" (video too). Whatever, I was sold.
Opening was the Revolution Brass Band. A many multi-instrumental outfit that just by sheer presence is fun to listen to... The got a crowd moving.
Between sets, we headed down to the This Way Out shop.
Finally, Rubblebucket took the stage. Not as voluminous in size, but definitely in spirit. All the jangly, fun, upbeat "indie orchestra" sounds that I hoped for. These guys had energy! I will definitely be keeping an eye on their upcoming album - currently being worked on.
(Unfortunately, I discovered the Nikon D3100 does a terrible job at recording the audio portion of a video, at least at concerts)
While there wasn’t a lot of must-see shows in January, having both YACHT and then Tōth within a week of each other was a real treat. You may remember Tōth as one part of Rubblebucket, who I’ve seen and posted about multiple times. His new album, Practice Magic and Seek Professional Help When Necessary, is superb! Check out some of his videos while you’re at it. Live, he was everything I was hoping from this show…
Opening, as she did once before for Rubblebucket, was Mal Devisa. Quite a different vibe from both Tōth and Rubblebucket, but she’s captivating in her simplicity and bass guitar. ohbtw - you’ll only find her stuff on Bandcamp.
Opening was our own Holden Laurence, who seems to be having a career rivaling his band, The Modern Electric.
It’s fun looking back and seeing my post from 2011 talking about taking a chance on an unknown band named Rubblebucket. Then seeing them again in 2016 solidified their spot in my must-see list of touring bands. I’ve loved every album release since. Now’s your chance - they’ll be at the Beachland Ballroom tomorrow!
Opening is a somewhat similar alt-pop band from And The Kids. Should be a nice compliment!
It's hard to imagine a better month in this city than June. As you can see by the slew of shows and festivals below, there is plenty going on. First let's recognize the non-typical venues for June's featured events, a definite change of pace. Then take note of the busiest Saturday of the year (June 25th). The ability is to hit multiple events in a single day is one of my favorite aspects of this city. You should see how many you can hit. Finally, you have a couple more road-trip chances this month to see the amazing Robyn in concert. Don't miss her.
Featured Event
June 13 :: Lovers (Pop) / loversarelovers.com (MySpace) Wilberts / Pay What You Want Have you had that experience when you first hear a song and you know instantly that you love it, as well as the band who produced it? That's how I felt when I first saw the video below, which I found through JD Sampson (of Le Tigre and MEN). These ladies had me at the first note and I've since fallen in love with their entire Dark Light album. It's seriously superb. What doesn't quite fit is that they'll be performing at Wilberts of all places. This could be a huge bonus.
June 25 :: Summer Solstice Party (World / Dance / DJ) / clevelandart.org Cleveland Museum of Art / $15 ~ $175 This has been one of the best parties of the year in Cleveland for the last 3 years. I expect nothing different this year. This year I'm noticing there are no real big-name performers, but instead a nice blend of ecclectic music. The afro-latin sounds of Sofrito, the boogie funk sound of Dam-Funk, and the circus punk sound of a marching band with Mucca Pazza, and that's all with the $15 ticket starting after 10pm!
Best of the Rest
June 2 :: Charlene Kaye (Pop) / charlenekaye.com (MySpace) Beachland Tavern / $5 Corissa Bragg is opening, who is a new local favorite. Charlene's jazzy pop would be worth staying for.
June 3 :: Yourself & the Air (Pop/Rock) / myspace.com/yourselfandtheair Beachland Tavern / $7 This group of young up-and-coming Chicagoans have a good thing going. Check out Sick Days.
June 4 :: Grace Potter & the Nocuturnals (Rock) / gracepotter.com (MySpace) House of Blues / $25 ~ $35 Catch Grace and crew, and her infectious bluesy rock, on their way to a headlining stop at Bonnaroo.
June 7 :: Dodos (Pop/Rock) / dodosmusic.net (MySpace) Grog Shop / $10 ~ $12 These indie San Francisco folk rockers are finally hitting the Grog Shop. Opening is Gauntlet Hair, who should also be great!
June 8 :: Nicole Atkins & The Black Sea (Folk / Rock) / nicoleatkins.com (MySpace) Beachland Tavern / $10 A powerful female voice that will definitely fill the Tavern. The great (and local) Rebekah Jean is opening.
June 9 :: Yvette (Experimental / Rock) / yvetteyvetteyvette.com (MySpace) Now That's Class / FREE Being billed as more forceful, hard-edged version of Animal Collective and HEALTH. I'm intrigued.
June 10 - 12 :: Weapons of Mass Creation Festival / wmcfest.com Happy Dog / $5 per Day A great, upcoming Art, Design & Music Festival in Cleveland. Great pre-show on Friday th 10th feat. David Dondero!
June 10 :: Elizabeth Cook (Country) / elizabeth-cook.com (MySpace) Beachland Tavern / $12 With live shows drawing comparisons to Dolly Parton, that is all the convincing I need.
June 11 :: Neon Indian (Electronic / Pop) / neonindian.com (MySpace) Grog Shop / $12 ~ $14 What first drew me to this show was another chance to see the amazing Oberhofer, though Neon Indian is quite intriguing too.
June 14 :: The Cave Singers (Folk / Rock) / thecavesingers.com (MySpace) Grog Shop / $8 ~ $10 A folk group made up of members of other bands who are not folk music performers. A great dynamic.
June 14 :: GLEE: Live on Stage (Musical) / fox.com/glee Quicken Loans Arena / $52.50 ~ $92.50 If you want to go the exact opposite of The Cave Singers, go get your GLEE on.
June 15 :: Shivering Timbers (Folk) / shiveringtimbersmusic.com (MySpace) MOCA / Free (Members) or $5 (Non Members) Experience Akron's Shivering Timbers during MOCA's "Secret Garden" GAL-ery Night!
June 16 :: Art Brut (Rock) / artbrut.org.uk (MySpace) Beachland Ballroom / $12 Much talked about British post-punk rockers with a new album, produced by Frank Black.
June 16 :: Rubblebucket (Roots/Afro-Beat) / rubblebucket.com (MySpace) Beachland Tavern / $12 These guys are becoming a Beachland favorite. Details on their last performance are here.
June 16 :: Janis Ian (Folk) / janisian.com (MySpace) Cain Park / $18 ~ $23 This 70's folk legend performing at the beautiful Cain Park. Her stories under the night sky will charm you.
June 23 :: Corissa Bragg (Singer/Songwriter) / myspace.com/corissabragg House Concert / $10 This is the second house concert hosted by The Zender Agenda!! The first was amazing, I'm expecting the same for this one.
June 24 :: My Gold Mask (Pop / Rock) / mygoldmask.com (MySpace) Beachland Tavern / $7 A dense pop / electronic performance from this Chicago duo. I have a great feeling about this show.
June 25 :: Cleveland Pride (Festival) / clevelandpride.org Voinivich Park / Donation I'll admit I'm not typically a fan of the music at our Pride Festival (this year seems no different), but I'll still list it.
June 25 :: Larchmere Porchfest (Festival) / niceredshorts.com/porchfest (MySpace) Larchmere Neighborhood / FREE If Pride's not your thing, check out these 30 performers on 30 porches!
June 25 :: Waterloo Arts Fest (Festival) / waterlooartsfest.com Waterloo Neighborhood / FREE No word yet on perormances at the Festival, but the Beachland has a great afterparty of local acts (Cloud Nothings, Filmstrip, etc.)
June 28 :: Joe Purdy (Folk / Rock) / joepurdy.com (MySpace) Beachland Ballroom / $15 ~ $17 A successful self-releasing artist who's acoustic folk sound is spectacular.
June 28 :: Mishka (Pop / Reggae) / mishka.com (MySpace) Grog Shop / $12 ~ $14 A perfect summer soundtrack, this pop-infused reggae sound is superb.
Notable Road Trips
June 4 & 5 :: Robyn (Pop / Dance) / robyn.com (MySpace) 4th / Royal Oak Music Theater (Royal Oak) / $20 5th / LC Pavilion (Columbus) / $15 omg. omg. omg. She's back in the area. If you missed her the first time around, get in your car, now.
June 25 :: Junior Boys (Electronic / Pop) / juniorboys.net (MySpace) The Crofoot (Pontiac) / $12 ~ $14 This electronic duo finally has a new album out and this is unfortunately their closest stop.
The Grog Shop has been on fire lately with these good shows. The Octopus Project is one of those elusive bands that slowly put out an album every few years. Their recorded stuff was intriguing, but I really had no idea how this would translate live. I was impressed to see the crowd they drew, as well as the cool stage effects they packed into the Grog Shop! This was definitely a trippy / party show that I would put up there with Animal Collective or Rubblebucket.
Sadly similar to the Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. name issue - I was late to tUnE-yArDs because I was mixing them up with Rubblebucket - who's new album I've been not-to-excited about lately. It took a friend of a friend's strong recommendation (dare I say threat) to clue me in that I was messing this up and that this was a show to see. I've since thrown myself into tUnE-yArDs and like what they're throwing back.
I'm primarily thrilled with Merill Garbus' voice - which has this incredible power and this almost gender-neutral quality about it. While i've been enjoying the album, I have a feeling this show is going to blow me away. Here's a recent video - but keep an eye out for tomorrow's Video Tuesday where I'll post their newest!
Tōth, one part of Rubblebucket recently put out his new solo album, as well as this video for Picture Of You as “a metaphor for grief and acceptance.” I recently discovered Slow Hollows through their video for Get Along, and I’ll have to keep exploring this music! The Avett Brothers are back with a new album (out 10/4), tour (11/8 @ Wolstein Center), and this new video for High Steppin’.
Bonus: I have soft spot for days with dogs in a park. This new video for Strawberry Blonde by Vacationer captures it perfectly.
This sounds amazing… Hot Chip! Scissor Sisters!! Cut Copy!!! Robyn!!!!
Robyn, Twin Shadow, Washed Out Set For Red Hot Arthur Russell Tribute LP - Stereogum
" Arthur Russell blended dance, folk, pop, classical, whatever, and created something utterly unique and extraordinary. He died of AIDS in 1992, at age 40, but his profile has risen considerably over the last two decades; frankly, I’d guess that a majority of the artists covered by Stereogum would cite him as an influence. So it’s appropriate and very cool to see so many of those artists will be featured on an upcoming Arthur Russell tribute album called Red Hot + Arthur Russell: This Is How We Walk On The Moon.
On board already to cover Russell’s songs are Twin Shadow, Washed Out, José González, Laurel Halo, Robyn, Glen Hansard, Javelin, Hot Chip, Nico Muhly + Owen Pallett, Cut Copy, Sandro Perri, The Revival Hour, Will Sheff, Sam Amidon, Ólöf Arnalds, Devendra Banhart, Dan Boeckner, Chad VanGaalen, Scissor Sisters, Oh Mercy, Rubblebucket, and Thao with The Get Down Stay Down. The project was organized by Red Hot, in association with Pitchfork."
Go is the first video off Grimes upcoming album (which is now being scrapped?). ODESZA’s new album is out and here’s the new video for Say My Name. Next up is Zola Jesus who also has a new album out in Oct.
Bonus: I missed (and missed promoting) the Rubblebucket show at the Grog Shop, but still wanted to share their flashy new video
The Gossip’s Beth Ditto has finally emerged with a new video off her upcoming release Fake Sugar (out 6/16). San Cisco, everyone’s favorite indie pop band from Australia, has a light, summery new video for Hey, Did I Do You Wrong. Rubblebucket is back with a an out of body (and off the phone) experience for the If U C My Enemies video.
Bonus: Hercules & Love Affair are BACK!! This creepy new video for Controller brings me back to them.
