Mogwai!

I remember when I was a sophomore in high school…my boyfriend had a copy of Mogwai’s Rock Action. I listened to it…I thought it was great…but then I heard 1999′s Come On Die Young. I was disappointed. I almost forgot about them. A few years later, I got ahold of 1997′s Young Team. It was fantastic. It’s still one of my favorite albums. Mogwai’s music can be hard to describe…do you remember the Mogwai song from Gremlins? It’s simple and seems harmless at first…but it signifies imminent face ripping. Mogwai writes what can only be described as epic, post-apocolyptic rock, but it doesn’t take itself too seriously. Their willingness to change and tweak their sound over the years has kept them interesting, even if it hasn’t won them many new fans, as evidenced by my backwards introduction to them. I just hope everyone hasn’t given up on them. After all, Rock Action WAS a great album…it just wasn’t Young Team. It’s kind of like this…The Pixies’ Tromp Le Monde was a great album…but it was no Surfer Rosa. It’s not fair to judge bands on past efforts, only if you think they are going somewhere in the future. And I don’t see Mogwai staying where they’re at. Go to their show. Feed them after midnight. See what happens.

 

Mogwai plays April 22nd, 2009 at Workplay Theatre at 8pm.

Great shows this week…

This was a great week for music in Birmingham. But-before we look back on the performances from the last week-I have exciting news! Lauren Strain, the dreamy, ethereal voice of The Grenadines, has formed an all girl band. The PaperDolls consist of Lauren and two friends. Their music can be heard on their Myspace music player at http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewProfile&friendID=447245327. Moving on-went to see the Heartless Bastards last Thursday at The Bottletree (www.bottletree.com). While I did enjoy the show, I couldn’t help but feel like the Bastards have ventured a little too far into the whole banjo/bluesy/mountain music genre and started flirting with the idea of just being hipster hillbilly. Still a fun show, though. Check out their new album, The Mountain, which can be found at just about any indie record store or Amazon.com…or Itunes (duh). Oh! Tonight The Nick will be hosting Leslie, an incredibly talented and yet underappreciated trio of dudes from Charleston. Fresh off the Lynyrd Skynyrd Simple Man Cruise, Leslie is truly on the verge of greatness. Also, they aren’t bad looking. Cover is $6, and as always, you must be 21 to enter (or just have a really great fake i.d.) Check out the rest of the Nick’s upcoming shows at www.thenickrocks.com. Later!

I have to apologize…

For my last post. It had absolutely nothing to do with my blog subject, and it was definitely uncalled for. HOWEVER-I am apologizing for my post, not for my feelings towards that walking forehead the world refers to as Tyra.

Moving on. I’ve run into a wall with this blog. Every time a band plays in town that I want to write about, I pause and think, what if they read it? What if I’m forced to say something negative? I have to see these people all the time. I’m not sure how I would handle that situation if it were to arise. So, I suppose the only thing left to do is to ONLY write about bands that I actually enjoy.

On April 1st, The Bottletree Cafe will be hosting a show featuring Unwed Sailor, Sound and Shape and Baak Gwai. Unwed Sailor is fronted by a guy by the name of Johnathon Ford. Now, this guy used to play in a band called Roadside Monument with some other pretty cool people from Seattle. One day he started writing some more bass-oriented songs…and they just didn’t seem to vibe right with the whole Roadside Monument thing. So he formed Unwed Sailor. The heavily instrumental band has been host to such musicians as Pedro the Lion’s David Bazan and Josh Tillman of Fleet Foxes. I’ve seen them before, and definitely won’t be upset about seeing them again. Moving on…my place of work, The Nick, has been fortunate to host Sound and Shape a few times. Hailing from Nashville, their latest offering, Where Machines End Their Lives, has received excellent reviews from music publications all across the nation. It’s tough to label this band…most settle with progressive, but they have something that transcends the label. Fans of the emphasis on bass in Unwed Sailor won’t be disappointed with Sound and Shape; they keep the rhythm interesting.

BUT-my personal favorite of all three of these bands is definitely Baak Gwai. John, Adam and Chris are not only super nice guys, but part of a super great band. Coming out of Tuscaloosa (really?), these guys have been called progressive, progressive indie, indie dance, dancey-prog-indie-douche, etc. But more important than all that-they are FUN. They write great, tight, well put together songs and pull off interesting melodies while blasting your face off live and making you wish you could watch them at least one more time that night. They recently signed to Decimal Records and released their second album, Find a Stranger in the Alps, which opens with the fabulously named “Alabamsterdam.” This album is…great. I don’t know how else to say it. Plus-John Snowden, aka vocals, CAN SCALE WALLS WITH NOTHING BUT HIS HANDS! The guy took ninja classes for months. I’m not joking. Come see them play and buy a cd and I’m sure he’ll climb a wall or two for you.

This show is at The Bottletree Cafe on April 1st. It will most likely kick off around 9pm and will be 18+. Buy tickets in advance at www.thebottletree.com or at the door, doesn’t really matter.

Have fun kids.

M

Events: Past and Soon-To-Be…

Although I have a lot of neat stuff to share on the past week, first I have some exciting news…Lauren Strain, the dreamy, ethereal voice of The Grenadines, has decided to form an all girl band, The PaperDolls. You can check out their music yourself at http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewProfile&friendID=447245327. Rest assured, you won’t be disappointed…these are the same folks who brought you King Carnivore and The Grenadines, both two of Birmingham’s most talented bands. In other news, I spent last Thursday night at The Bottletree, checking out The Heartless Bastards. The Bastards’ female vocalist, Erika Wennenstrom, has a voice that reminds you of whiskey being poured on sandpaper and then being lit on fire with a strike-anywhere match. Their latest offering, The Mountain, is full of ominous banjo-strumming and Wennenstrom’s gritty, velvety vocals. They finished the show with a spooky cover of Lead Belly’s “Where did you Sleep Last Night,” an all time favorite of mine. Needless to say, fun was had by all. Oh-and if you’re out tonight-be sure to catch Leslie at The Nick. Fresh off the Simple Man cruise, these three dudes from Charleston are getting ready to be the next big thing. And they aren’t too bad looking, either. Cover is $6 and, as always, you must be 21 to get in. Check out the rest of The Nick’s upcoming shows at www.thenickrocks.com.

Birmingham Nightlife

As the manager of a nightclub, I spend a fair amount of time experiencing all that Birmingham’s nightlife scene has to offer. My job requires that I frequent the many colorful (and sometimes downright seedy) bars and clubs that we are in direct competition with. In the course of all this, I’ve come into contact with many of the very talented musicians and artists who live and work here. I find it disappointing that many of the residents of Birmingham have no idea that almost every night of the week there is an art opening, or a great band performing or even a burlesque revue happening in some part of the city.  So, in the pursuit of promotion, I’m going to use my blog to post dates certain events are occuring, reviews of past performances, and maybe even an interview or two with a local artist.  I hope you enjoy it!

Miranda