Rock Over Boston: Corin Tucker Band/Versus/Speedy Ortiz

[Corin Tucker Band with Versus and Speedy Ortiz at TT The Bear's Place, Cambridge, MA 9/28/2012.]

Corin Tucker Band: Intertubes | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube
Versus: Facebook
Speedy Ortiz: Facebook | Bandcamp | Twitter

New Music Night DJ Sets | River Gods | 27/28 Sept.

Here are the songs we played whilst manning the figurative decks tonight/right now/last night in the booth at the fabulous River Gods in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Avail yourself of all the relevant linkage; if you have any questions or want to know more, hit us on Twitter or drop a comment. We may or may not do Spotify playlists of these sets in the coming days and post links here; watch this space. Also, please click over to Bradley's Almanac and check out Brad's playlists for the 9PM and 11PM hours, which we expect will be posted imminently.

Set Two/Jay -- 10PM

1. Her Parents -- "Justin Vernon" -- Physical Release
[blogged / stream / buy]
2. The Raveonettes -- "Downtown" -- Observator
[blogged / album stream / buy]
3. Big Wave Riders -- "Waiting In The Wings" -- single
[stream / buy]
4. Guillermo Sexo -- "Bring Down Your Arms"
[EXCLUSIVE studio mix of new tune that will feature on the band's forthcoming LP]
5. Everyone Everywhere -- "No Furniture" -- Everyone Everywhere (2012)
[review / album stream / buy]
6. Hop Along -- "Laments" -- Get Disowned
[one of the best records of the year that we haven't written about / blogged / buy]
7. Swearin' -- "Movie Star" -- Swearin'
[another awesome record we haven't had time to review / stream / buy]
8. She Sir -- "You Could Be Tiger" -- single
[blogged / download]
9. Lubec -- "Wilderness Days" -- Wilderness Days
[title track to brilliant odds n' sods collection due any day / blogged / buy]
10. Airiel -- "Flashlight Tag" -- Kid Games
[blogged / stream / buy]
11. You're Jovian -- "And Now" -- Stereochronic
[blogged / download / buy]
12. Youth Pictures Of Florence Henderson -- "All I Remember Is Punk Rock" -- Small Changes We Hardly Notice
[blogged / stream / buy]
12. Los Campesinos! -- "Tiptoe Through The True Bits" -- Hello Sadness outtake
[so wonderful / download]
13. Dikembe -- "Not Today, Angel" -- Broad Shoulders
[review / album stream / buy]
14. Infinity Girl -- "Please Forget" -- Bedroom single
[alternate take of "it" band's devastating tune, performing Friday at Radio / stream / download]
15. The Welcome Wagon -- "High" -- Precious Remedies Against Satan's Devices
[sweet little Cure cover / stream / buy]

Set Four/Jay -- 12AM

1. The xx -- "Reunion" -- Coexist
[hopefully this leads to more steel drum in indie rock / buy]
2. Sun Airway -- "Close" -- Soft Fall
[devastatingly catchy single / blogged / album stream / buy]
3. Ringo Deathstarr -- "So High" -- Mauve + Bonus Tracks
[this might have been a Japanese b-side? / buy]
4. Statikluft Recordings -- "Battery Ida" -- single
[stream / download]
5. Future Carnivores -- "Drugs (Demo)" -- Unreleased
[blogged / stream / download]
6. Tadoma -- "4th of July jam pt. 3"
[the sound of summer in Philly / stream / download]
7. Sun Stains -- "Honeylake" -- Sun Stains
[stream / download / buy]
8. Panda Riot -- "Serious Radical Girls (SPC ECO Remix)" -- single
[blogged / stream / buy]
9. Fridge Poetry -- "Crash Down (Demo)"
[blogged / stream]
10. Divine Fits -- "The Salton Sea" -- A Thing Called Divine Fits
[buy]
11. Big Science -- "No One Ever Wakes Up" -- Difficulty
[criminally overlooked record, so brilliant / stream / buy]
12. White Laces -- "Invocation" -- Moves
[review / buy]
13. R.M. Hendrix -- "Lipstick And Perfect Hair" -- Pink Skin EP
[stream / buy]

PLAYLISTED, NOT PLAYED

14. Joey Fourr -- "Play With Yrself" -- Crack Is Wack EP
[more zany pop goodness from Tubelord dude / buy]
15. Orange Blossom Flyover -- "Near Beyond Alone" -- Gypseyeyed Stars Astir
[blogged / stream / download]

Turning Gold: The Clicky Clicky Interview With Golden Gurls' Andrew Mabry

[Photo Credit: Patrick McCann] Earlier this year Baltimore-based indie upstarts Golden Gurls seemed to drop out of the sky like a house onto a witch, sporting an inexplicably well-conceived and awesome debut long-player [review]. But shoot the breeze with fronter and guitarist Andrew Mabry for hours as we've done in recent weeks, and it is apparent that the excellent Typo Magic is the product of decades of music-making, music fandom and immersion in ancillary underground culture. Mr. Mabry has put in the hours: if Indie Rock was a Fortune 500 company, CEO Ira Kaplan would have given him a gold watch for his service years ago. From his early days in Michigan to his current turf in Baltimore, from clerking record stores and pursuing skateboarding to stints in bands including post-rockers Moscow Telephone and Left Channels, Mabry has done the band thing, the music thing, the life thing. His is a musical world view shaped by the greats, Unwound, Polvo, Seam, and on and on and on. And it's all led up to Golden Gurls and where the band is now, Van treads on Typo Magic but fingers stretched out in the direction of a planned sophomore set whose recording will begin later this year. The trio will be in Boston Friday anchoring a stellar bill at Radio in Somerville during the recurring Tiger Mountain dance party. We put a bunch of questions to Mabry recently to learn where his band was coming from and where it will go. We strongly encourage you to get out to see Golden Gurls this Friday, on an epic bill with Connecticut rockers Suicide Dolls and local heroes Soccer Mom and Infinity Girl.

Clicky Clicky: One thing I never really got to the bottom of when reviewing the record: where does the title come from? Is it just a reference to the misspelling in Gurls?

Andrew Mabry: Typo Magic is a reference to any typo that is just so magical you leave it in the text. I have done it so many times at work (I type like crap) and on my cellphone that I pushed for that to be the title, and, yes, I felt like it was only fitting considering how we're spelling the name of our band.

CC: So, kind of like painter Bob Ross' "happy accidents" then. Do you embrace chance in either composing or recording your music -- I'm sure I'm misusing the term here, but kind of like John Cage's "chance operations?" Or is your approach to songwriting fairly formalized?

AM: Well, actually we write our songs to be more open-ended, some of them are more set in stone like "Tidal," and others like "End Of The War" war are sort of ever-evolving in structure. We wrote "Double Negatives" in the studio, that song was just a riff I was playing around with that happened really fast and we liked it enough to put it on the record.

CC: Here's one I always like asking songwriters, because back when I was writing songs I felt like you could never tell whether what you liked would translate. So, the question: do you know when you've written a great hook?

AM: A great hook is totally subjective, [but] I know for sure when I have written something that I would have listened to over and over again at some point in my life. In a general sense, those are the songs I try my hardest to finish and use on our recordings. "Kid Tested," for example, I love that end riff, it really reminds me of so many other things yet none of them at all.

CC: I feel like between "The Wire," that show about cake, and acts like Dan Deacon and Lower Dens, Baltimore has been enjoying an unprecedented cultural relevance in the last five years. Is there any way to account for that, or is it just all serendipity?

AM: Well, this is a hard question to answer. I know a lot of people who play in other bands in Baltimore, this city has a lot of music in it. Lower Dens are just sort of on their own out there. Well, I suppose you can toss Wye Oak in with them. Both of those bands are super talented, but they are totally on their own in terms of sound and what they go after in songwriting. As for "The Wire," I don't know how accurately it portrays this city, as I was never that into it, [although] a good friend of mine's father was in the show. Ace Of Cakes? Or Cake? If there is a cake show that's news to me!

CC: Have you lived in or around Baltimore all of your life? Do you have any recollection of that scene comp Baltimore: The City That Breeds that came out in 1993? There are some great jams on there.

AM: I actually grew up in Detroit, where there were a lot bands influencing me all the time. I know some of those bands on the compilation, though. One of the guys from Next Step Up lives a block over from me. I see the guitarist from Candy Machine around my neighborhood from time to time. Liquor Bike, now that's a band I haven't thought of in years.

CC: What were some of the kind of street-level Detroit acts that inspired you to do what you do? You know, bands that maybe never broke out, but still made you feel like, hey, I can do this music thing.

AM: The bands growing up that really made me feel like anything was possible would be Versus (Teenbeat, Caroline, etc.) [and] His Name is Alive. I used to see [His Name Is Alive's] Warn [Defever] a lot, and talk to him whenever about just about anything musical, and he was totally kind. It's doubtful he would have any recollection of me, but still, what a nice guy. I think back on him in that era and how he was doing recordings with people from the Pale Saints, Ida, Retsin and so on, literally four miles from where I grew up. Another one that comes to mind is Fred Thomas from Saturday Looks Good To Me, seriously one of the nicest guys ever. Watching him take that project from just a solo sort of acoustic thing recorded on a 4-track to where it went was pretty amazing. I was also really into Eric's Trip, I am not sure that I can call them local to me since they were from Moncton, but I definitely saw them often and they left a huge mark on my idea of being in a band. Others I won't go into too much detail on [were] Windy And Carl, Mahogany, Majesty Crush, so on and so forth.

CC: Without going into all the details of how it all came together, I think it is pretty awesome that so many Boston bands were trying to get you on their show for the night you were in town, to the extent that two shows were combined to make it all happen. Is it possible Golden Gurls are more popular in Boston than in Baltimore?

AM: To be honest, I am not sure about that. Is it possible? Certainly. Our entire last year has been this uphill fight with personnel changes, finishing the record, playing shows, trying to have fun with it all.

CC: How much touring have you been able to do behind Typo Magic? Is the trip to Boston part of a set of dates, or is it a one-off? I know your personal life is about to get pretty busy for a while, but are you considering mounting a larger tour to support the record, or are you already looking forward to making the next one?

AM: We haven't played many shows since the record came out. For a while, in 2011, we played all the time, but it dropped off as we got more and more involved with finishing our record. It was a seriously labor-intensive project that took a lot out of us. When we finally put the record out in May we didn't have a bassist and that put a damper on things, not to mention our drummer lives about 2 hours away from where we practice, which is also always difficult to work around. We have an awesome bass player now, though, and we're really happy with everything he has brought to the band. We are playing a few more shows in October and trying to do a few dates in the midwest in the fall. [But] the Boston show is a one off, we have been wanting to play Boston for the better part of a year, but never could pull a show together. This show is exactly what we wanted. Infinity Girl and Soccer Mom are both so awesome. The next record is already scheduled to be recorded in November. I am not sure when it will be finished, but I know we will start it then. We're taking a more personal approach with the follow-up and doing a lot of it at home, but we're using the same engineer we used previously because he's literally the greatest guy we know of to work with. On top of that, he knows exactly what we want out of our recordings.

CC: I know you have a lot of material leftover from writing Typo Magic, because you've told me. Are you the kind of songwriter that will keep that stuff around and use it, or do you mothball stuff that gets stale in favor of newer, fresher stuff you're writing. Are any of the tracks on Typo Magic particularly old?

AM: Typo Magic has songs that span about a two-year period of writing on it. Some of the songs are older, for instance I believe "Kid Tested" is one of the first songs we ever wrote which would make it over 2 years old. Some of the other ones came later like "Tidal," "Excited" and "Providence." I don't like to let songs go unless they really don't fit our sound, that happens from time to time but in general I keep them and continue working on them.

CC: Typo Magic is one of my favorite records of the year, I'm psyched to see you guys play up here. Thanks for taking time out to talk with the blog, Andrew.

AM: Thanks for asking me to do this interview. And thanks for the kind words about our record, it really makes us happy to have it out there and that anyone even listens to it.

Golden Gurls perform at Tiger Mountain Friday night at Radio in Somerville with Suicide Dolls, Soccer Mom and Infinity Girl. Check out a live video of Golden Gurls' "End Of The War," captured in August at Ottobar in Baltimore. Typo Magic is available as a limited-edition CD or name-your-own-price download from Bandcamp right here.

Soccer Mom, Suicide Dolls, Infinity Girl And Golden Gurls at Tiger Mountain | Radio | 28 Sept.

This bill. It's too insane. It's the product of some smart people saying, hey, we've got two great bills in the Boston area on Sept. 28, why not graft them together, like, say Rosey Greer and Ray Milland in "The Thing With Two Heads?" It's the product of event planners thinking like music fans, which in this case of course they are, and which is why Friday night's Tiger Mountain dance party is going to be a knock-out. You've got the first area appearance of Baltimore's Golden Gurls, riding high on the strength of their full-length debut Typo Magic. Connecticut's Suicide Dolls are fresh from covering Circle Jerks' "When The Shit Hit The Fan" on American Laundomat Records' "Repo Man" tribute comp, which was released to acclaim last week. Local shoegaze behemoth Soccer Mom is turning out the best live shows of its career, and new Boston sensations Infinity Girl have been delivering devastating performances despite their relative new-comer status. The fact that we'll get to see all of this in the same night is mind-boggling. Don't blow it; get to Radio in Somerville at 8:30 sharp to see Soccer Mom kick off a night that people will talk about for weeks to come. And AND AND tune in to Clicky Clicky tomorrow morning when you get to your desk to read our feature interview with Golden Gurls' Andrew Mabry. And now, how about some songs?

Rock Over Boston: Will Johnson and Anders Parker | Allston, MA | 9.24.12

[Will Johnson and Anders Parker living room show, Allston, MA 9/24/12. Photos by Michael Piantigini].

Will Johnson: Internets | Facebook | Centro-matic
Anders Parker: Internets | Facebook |
Anders Parker's new project Anders and Kendall: Tumblr | Facebook

Review: Ringo Deathstarr | Mauve + Live In Portland, Sept. 20

[PHOTO: Matt Dressen, used with permission] Austin-based shoegaze titans Ringo Deathstarr left an indelible mark on Portland, Ore., Thursday night, during an electrifying performance supporting the trio's second full-length, Mauve. In contrast to the protracted span between the band's first EP and first long-player, Mauve arrives this week not terribly long after the trio's acclaimed 2011 long-player Colour Trip [review]. The new collection reiterates The Deathstarr's knack for taking wisps of dream-pop and shoegaze nostalgia and refining them to the point of orderly perfection. Beyond just a showcase for kicking ass, Mauve evidences the group pushing the boundaries of its songwriting, establishing a new beachhead among harder rhythms and melodies more dependent on crystalline vocals.

While band leader and guitarist Elliot Frazier regularly receives the lion's share of attention for his songwriting and attitude, the spotlight on Mauve -- due Sept. 25 on Club AC30 and Sonic Unyon -- seems to be more shared than ever between all three members. For example, Mauve opens with the brilliant "Rip," which situates Ringo Deathstarr bassist Alex Gehring front and center, not only as a vocal presence, but also with her fuzz bass often beating out the guitars in terms of volume. Indeed, her bass work drives much of the album and, instead of sticking to driving root notes this time around, her work is heavy, delightfully approaching grungy post-hardcore territory.

Ringo Deathstarr refuse to be hamstrung by the parameters of what can be a narrow genre, and instead embrace a variety of possibilities and directions, such as when the threesome cast their gaze toward methanol-drenched, trip-hop jams. "Brightest Star," the album's longest song by over two minutes, slinks under looped guitar drones, while Frazier and Gehring's harmonies implore amidst bedside drama. "Fifteen" and "Please Don't Kill Yourself" trade in seasick, queasy guitar noise and drum progressions that, taken together, are appealingly weird and psychedelic.

While exploring the slower tempos, deep grunge vibes and electronic elements, the band retains the chops to produce the Frazier-fronted, two-minute barnburners upon which Ringo Deathstarr built its brand. "Slack" may be one of the best of these; here Frazier amazingly takes a slot-car racing metaphor (perhaps?) and throws it up against hormonal dream-punk. And, of course, there's the signature whammy chords and some hardcore tempos to give the monster an immediacy that only this band seems to be able to pull off so consistently well. With this one song alone, the Texans prove they can get more popular, change lineups, tour the world, but still remain the beautifully disaffected punks early press was eager to paint them as.

The band's live performance Thursday at Slabtown in Portland presented a positive prologue to this week's album release. The set was appropriately heavy on new material, and showcased how well the songs stand up in a three-piece configuration in a dank punk bar with poor sound. New song "Girls We Know" was fueled by Gehring's subterranean bass filtered through some odd pulsing pedal that induced feedback and myriad kaleidoscopic squeals -- not the normal approach to the four-string. Colour Trip classics "Kaleidoscope" and "So High" were met with massive audience response. "Rip" owned just like it does on record. Even "Starrsha," from the band's self-titled 2007 EP, made a quick appearance to appease the old-timers. It bears noting the quite impressive array of guitars and alternate tunings Frazier employed, a sign of highly evolved musicianship that perhaps belies the band's punk overtones.

The band was in great company Thursday. The evening, presented by Seattle shoegaze label Neon Sigh, included Portland-area revivalists Sundaze and WL. Both acts' clear, effects-heavy sets suggest evidence that the Pacific Northwest sips from the same potions as the Texas heroes. Buy Mauve from Sonic Unyon right here. -- Edward Charlton

Ringo Deathstarr: Internerds | Facebook | YouTube | SoundCloud

Selected Previous Ringo Deathstarr Coverage:
YouTube Rodeo: Ringo Deathstarr's "Kaleidoscope"
YouTube Rodeo: Ringo Deathstarr's "So High"
YouTube Rodeo: Ringo Deathstarr's "Imagine Hearts"
Today's Hotness: Ringo Deathstarr
Ringo Deathstarr Will Storm Japan, U.K., Issue "You Don't Listen" Single
Ringo Deathstarr "In Love" b/w "Summertime" Due 9/14
Today's Hotness: Ringo Deathstarr
Today's Hotness: Ringo Deathstarr
Clicky Clicky Music Blog: The Best Records Of 2007

New Music Night 7 with DJs Brad Almanac + Jay Clicky Clicky | River Gods | 27 Sept.

Didja miss us? Well, no matter, we missed you, and so New Music Night returns for its seventh manifestation this very Thursday, Sept. 27, at River Gods in Cambridge, Mass. Here's the Facebook event page. Your DJs continue to be Brad of Bradley's Almanac and Jay of Clicky Clicky. It all happens from 9PM-1AM. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say or do can and will be held against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you. Do you understand these rights I have just read to you? It's not just the place to be, it's the place to listen. Also, beer. For a sense of what you're getting into, check out Brad's playlist from the May event, or our own. Solid. Sold? Thinking about it? Here's the Facebook event page. We've had a long summer off and our coffers are overflowing with delicious, high-value, new and newer indie rock, so come hear the best of what indie rock has had to offer during the last five months. You'll like the way you look, I guarantee it.

River Gods
125 River Street
Cambridge, MA
MAP

Accessible via Red Line at Central Square.