Video Friday!

It's a long weekend, get ready to party!  Some amazing dance stuff for you, most of which you might have already caught on my TZA Upbeat YouTube Playlist - if you're into that kind of thing.   Starting things off with an amazing good track from Holy Ghost! for Dumb Disco Ideas - stunning.  Next up is Big Black Delta's Side of the Road, another scorcher of a track.  Finally, !!!'s sporting some sexy Rolling Stones underwear (?) for their video for One Girl/One Boy.

 

The bonus this week goes to the venerable Pet Shop Boys with Axis.

Video Tuesday-ish

Some fun stuff this week…  Foxygen reveals more of their quirkiness with their video for No Destruction.  Dublin-based Little Green Cars has a catchy little number & video for Big Red Dragon.  Finally, a couple of great, delicious pop videos by NY's MS MR.

 

 

Bonus: A second video by MS MR

Tonight! - Laura Stevenson @ Beachland Tavern

Should be a great show!

 

Laura Stevenson: The TVD Interview | The TVD Storefront

"Uninterested in having a carefully cultivated ‘rock chick’ persona, fans have come to adore Laura for her authenticity. Her songs are honest. Her finger picking guitar style is impressive. And she’s not out to be famous. ‘I kind of just started it because it was what I loved to do and I didn’t know what to do with my life, so I’ll do this while I’m figuring that out,’ she tells us."

(Continued... Laura Stevenson: The TVD Interview | The TVD Storefront)

Concert Showdown / Saturday Night: Thermals vs. Seafair

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… 

VS.

Good luck deciding.  Glad I don't have to.

Just Announced!! Summer in the City Concert Series @ The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

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"

(Continued... Summer in the City Concert Series | The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum)

Foals (5/13/13)

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.

Video Tuesday

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.

New Release: Wampire

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."

(Continued... Band To Watch: Wampire - Stereogum)

Hello Cleveland! Music Documentary

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."

(Continued... 'Hello Cleveland!' Documentary Explores 70s Music Scene: UPDATE | Scene and Heard: Scene's News Blog)

Tomorrow: Telekinesis @ Grog Shop

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.

Opening is Deep Sea Diver.