It took a couple songs for Miniature Tigers to warm up, opening with the first two tracks off Fortress. This show, on the surface, was about playing the new stuff. The set saw Fortress played almost in its entirety, only skipping over “Dark Tower”, but no one was complaining. Below the surface, however, the show seemed to be about discovering new friends amongst old fans, and rejuvenating those older followers with new material as they worked hard to claim a place in the indie rock world.

Miniature Tigers hit their stride quickly with the opening vocals of “Bullfighter Jacket”, following their record’s track listing into “Egyptian Robe”. This is when the night truly took off, the people and the band warmed up and ready to go. The lighter moments became playful; the heavier, more sonic, blasting out like they were meant to. It showed that this is a band of many sounds that is damn catchy and has no trouble staying that way well off the record.

They seemed the most gleefully excited, however, when old tracks like oldies “The Wolf” and “Tell it to the Volcano” whipped up screams and cheers followed by loud word-for-word enthusiasm as the crowd sang along. The smiles on the band members’ faces at these moments showed a certain humility, that they may never get used to hearing their words sung back to them so automatically without any provoking. For those new to the band thanks to some NPR play, it might have surprised them as well, stumbling upon such an established fan base.

Throughout the night there was an inescapable, organic excitement amongst the small crowd. They danced, threw their hands up, and seemed to be having the best Tuesday night they’d had in a long time. The Neon Indian-produced “Gold Skull” saw front man Charlie Brand dropping the guitar and hopping into the crowd for the dance party the song was meant to be. He jumped and danced with everyone he could in the short three minutes he had. Afterward, he proclaimed, sweat dropping down his forehead, “I’m here tonight, and it’s party time!” before launching into “Tropical Birds”.

A bear-costumed individual made their way onto the sage for “Lolita”, gyrating and providing theatrics via a rain stick that didn’t quite make the mix, but that didn’t seem to matter much. One more proclamation to ignite came before oldie “Cannibal Queen” as Brand shouted, “Let’s whip this joint!” The Spinto Band came back out to join in on the fun as back-up dancers, singers, and rattler shakers all crammed the small stage to the brim. It was the apex of the night, and for them, the tour, since this was the last the two bands would be playing together.

A quick, almost unnecessary break was taken before skipping back out for two more songs. By that time, much of the packed Back Room space had thinned, leaving a warm huddle around the stage to enjoy and sing along one more time to the youthful lust of “The Wolf” and “Last Night’s Fake Blood”. A fan was invited onstage to help out on tambourine because this was a night just as much about the fans as the band on stage.

For a band still playing small spaces, it’s quite something to have made such an impact, even if their following is still relatively small, but last night’s atmosphere could be a sign of things to come. The only complaint was that their sound at this point is so much bigger than the space they were put in. The new songs especially demand a wider space to stretch out in, to reach the full effect you get on the record, and it was hard to gather that at times. This is not the Tigers’ fault though, and to give them due credit, their live show is definitely something to see. I’ve said it before – look out, because here they come.

Photography courtesy of Priscilla Raba

Setlist:
Mansion of Misery
Rock N’ Roll Mountain Troll
Tell it to the Volcano
Bullfighter Jacket
Egyptian Robe
Japanese Woman Living In My Closet
Gold Skull
Tropical Birds
Lolita
Cannibal Queen
Coyote Enchantment

Encore:
The Wolf
Last Night’s Fake Blood

The band will continue to learn the finer points of our great country by examining every bar with a stage that will have them. One of them is the giant bar called Lollapalooza. Do you think it’s going to have a cover? I imagine Miniature Tigers will be playing somewhere sunny, before you have a chance to be blacked-out, so enjoy this band before someone else is using them as a reference, which shouldn’t be long.

Miniature Tigers 2010 Tour Dates:
07/21 – Seattle, WA @ The High Dive ^
07/22 – Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios ^
07/23 – San Francisco, CA @ Hotel Utah Saloon ^
07/24 – Los Angeles, CA @ Spaceland ^
07/25 – San Diego, CA @ House of Blues ^
07/27 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Rhythm Room ^
07/29 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court ^
07/30 – Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge ^
07/31 – Santa Fe, NM @ Santa Fe Brewing Company ^
08/02 – Dallas, TX @ The Loft ^
08/03 – Austin, TX @ Stubbs ^
08/05 – Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room ^
08/06 – Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock Social Club ^
08/08 – Chicago, IL @ Lollapalooza
08/10 – Pontiac, MI @ Pike Room ^
08/11 – Akron, OH @ Musica ^
08/12 – Cambridge, MA @ TT the Bear’s ^
08/13 – New York, NY @ The Mercury Lounge ^
08/15 – Philadelphia, PA @ W North Star Bar ^
08/17 – Washington, DC @ The Black Cat ^
08/18 – Baltimore, MD @ Sonar Club Stage ^
08/19 – Chapel Hill, NC @ Local 506 ^
08/20 – Atlanta, GA @ The Star Community Bar ^
08/21 – Orlando, FL @ The Blackbooth ^

^ = w/ The Spinto Band

Among the acts lending their talents include Mogwai, Ra Ra Riot, Dan Deacon, Voxtrot, Marissa Nadler, A Place To Bury Strangers, The Antlers, Apostle Of Hustle, Patrick Wolf, The Veils, An Horse, The Spinto Band, Sic Alps, Crocodiles, Thao with the Get Down Stay Down, Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, and Port O’Brien. You can find the complete list of participating artists, sorted by country, below.

In hopes of getting you further jazzed, Buffetlibre has provided us with a few mp3s from the project to post below. Scroll down to check out new selections from Voxtrot and Crocodiles.

Check Out:
Voxtrot – “Whiskey and Water”
Crocodiles – “Nothing To Be Done” (The Pastels Cover)

PEACE Lineup:
NORTH AMERICA:
USA: Micah P. Hinson And The Pioneer Saboteurs, Steve Wynn & The Miracle 3, Ra Ra Riot, Plushgun, Crocodiles, Dan Deacon, Voxtrot, Marissa Nadler, A Place To Bury Strangers, The Antlers, Asobi Seksu, The Spinto Band feat. The Beast Pageant , Port O’Brien, Bart Davenport, Dent May & Cowboy Maloney’s Electric City , KI: Theory, Mike Viola, Her Space Holiday, Pretty & Nice, Sic Alps, Blacklist, DeLeon, Gala, Jeffrey Lewis, Gregor Samsa, Thao + The Get Down Stay Down, Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, Still Flyin’, Softlightes, Princeton, Odyzë, This Will Destroy You, Cruel Black Dove, Avian X
CANADA: Apostle Of Hustle, Buck 65, Malajube
MEXICO: Mexican Institute Of Sound, Hello Seahorse!, Sussie 4
CUBA: Martha Galarraga

SOUTH AMERICA:
BRAZIL: Bonde Do Role & DJ Chernobyl
CHILE: Javiera Mena, Francisca Valenzuela, Dj Raff
COLOMBIA: Frankie Jazz
BOLIVIA: Surfin Wagner
ARGENTINA: Entre Rios, Manosanta
VENEZUELA: Fordelucs, Kid606 feat. Barbara Panther

EUROPE:
UK: Marc Almond, 4hero, Mogwai, Patrick Wolf, Dubstar, Rose Elinor Dougall
Si Begg, frYars, Gyratory System, Darren Hayman, Cicada, Lucky Soul, Official Secrets Act, The Ultrasonics, Trouble Over Tokyo, The Boy Least Likely To, You Love Her Coz She’s Dead, Catherine A.D.
BELGIUM: Vive La Fête, The Neon Judgement, Girls In Hawaii
AUSTRIA: Fennesz, a life a song a cigarette
GREECE: Marsheaux, Mikro
NORWAY: Rockettothesky, Ane Brun, Ingrid Olava
GERMANY: Stereo Total, Ascii.Disko, Console, Escape With Romeo, Jeans Team, Kissogram, Maral Salmassi & Zero Cash, Kitbuilders, Locas In Love
FRANCE: Tahiti 80, Black Strobe, The Toxic Avenger, Titi Robin with Karim Sami “Diabolo”, The Delano Orchestra, Amélie-les-crayons, Saï Saï, My Broken Frame, Debmaster
FINLAND: Jori Hulkkonen
GREENLAND: Angu
DENMARK: Cartridge, The Broken Beats
ITALY: Dusty Kid, Amari, Amycanbe, Le Man Avec Les Lunettes, Perturbazione
IRELAND: Hystereo, Mundy
ICELAND: Amiina & Kippi Kaninus
HUNGARY: We Plants Are Happy Plants
SWEDEN: I’m From Barcelona, Peter Von Poehl, Napoleon, Lacrosse
FINLAND / GERMANY: AGF/Delay
SERBIA: sevdahBABY
PORTUGAL: X-Wife
NEDERLANDS: Don Diablo, Marike Jager, a balladeer
SWITZERLAND: Heidi Happy feat. Paul Niehaus (Calexico), Low Motion Disco
SPAIN: Miqui Puig, We Are Standard, Olimpic, Boat Beam, The Requesters, After After Hours, The Pinker Tones, Triangulo De Amor Bizarro, Elastic Band, Undo, The Amplid, Niki, Chinese Christmas Cards
RUSSIA: Tesla Boy, Cut2Kill
TURKEY: Gooseflesh

ASIA:
JAPAN: Ryuichi Sakamoto featuring Christian Fennesz
TIBET: Loten Namling, Karjam Saeji, Techung
CHINA: The Pet Conspiracy
HONG KONG: The Marshmallow Kisses, Tramgirl Karaoke Club feat. maskopet
REPUBLIC OF KOREA: EE
ISRAEL: Ivri Lider, Tamar Eisenman, Karni Postel, Nico Teen, The Biting Sheep
ISRAEL / FRANCE: Keren Ann & Shlomi Shaban
INDONESIA: Mocca, Efek Rumah Kaca, White Shoes & The Couples Company
INDIA: Motherjane, menwhopause, Sha’ir + func
IRAQ / DENMARK: Aida Nadeem
IRAQ: Salaam
IRAQ / FRANCE: Aïwa
PALESTINE: CultureSHOC
THAILAND: Cyndi Seui
SINGAPUR: sonicbrat

AFRICA:
SENEGAL: Malick Pathé Sow
TUNISIA / ALGERIA: DuOud
ALGERIA: MHD, Maghrebika feat Bill Laswell, Baâziz
GHANA: Wanlov The Kubolor
MALI: Vieux Farka Touré
UGANDA: Seby Ntege
EGYPT: Bikya
SOUTH AFRICA: Mujava feat Nonsense
MOZAMBIQUE / SOUTH AFRICA: 340ml
CONGO: Kiala

OCEANIA:
NEW ZEALAND: The Veils, The Phoenix Foundation
AUSTRALIA: Jeremy Fowler, An Horse, Operator Please, Birds Of Tokyo, Aeons

Via The Playlist, Kyle Patrick Alvarez’s Easier With Practice is a film about a bored author who starts a relationship over the phone with a strange girl. While not the most inherently thrilling plot, the likes of Grizzly Bear (who also scored a film for Phillip Seymour Hoffman), The Spinto Band, Deer Tick, Kevin Drew of Broken Social Scene, and The Watson Twins (plus many more artists that you can find here) should help set the pace of a potentially interesting tale of boy-meets-girl. Plus, it’s rated NC-17, so even better! While no tracklist has been announced, you can expect the pre-existing Watson Twins track “Darlin’ Song” to appear. The movie is available on DVD April 6th.

But small festival darlings with limited releases, movies about sparkly vampires, and flicks rubber stamped for rampant drug use by Tim Burton aren’t the only films mining the indie world. Hot Tub Time Machine, the film which sports a plot that is exactly as it sounds, will feature the likes of Public Enemy (who re-recorded 1988′s “Louder Than a Bomb”), The Replacements, and Echo & The Bunnymen. And since the film’s set in 1986, you’ll also hear plenty of Talking Heads, INXS, Men Without Hats, and The English Beat. But best of all, Craig Robinson will make the ladies (and many of the men) swoon with renditions of Rick Springfield’s “Jessie’s Girl” and the Black Eyed Peas burner “Let’s Get It Started”. This film hits theaters March 26th with the tracklist below.

If Darryl Philbin from The Office can’t win you over, none of these soundtracks ever will.

Hot Tub Time Machine: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Tracklist:
01. Public Enemy – Louder Than A Bomb (Back Into Time)
02. Scritti Politti – Perfect Way
03. Men Without Hats – The Safety Dance
04. INXS – What You Need
05. David Bowie – Modern Love
06. The Replacements – I Will Dare
07. Salt ‘N Pepa -”Push It
08. Echo & The Bunnymen – Bring On The Dancing Horses
09. The English Beat – Save It For Later
10. Spandau Ballet – True
11. Craig Robinson – Jessie’s Girl
12. New Order – Bizarre Love Triangle
13. Talking Heads – Once In A Lifetime
14. Mötley Crüe – Home Sweet Home
15. Craig Robinson – Let’s Get It Started

The Spinto Band 2009 Tour Dates:

In support of its new EP (preview right now), The Spinto Band has mapped out a two-week North American endeavor for later this year. The run, which follows a couple one-offs in Pennsylvania in September, kicks off on October 21st in Philadelphia and see the Delaware outfit travel across the East Coast and Midwest. Following the dates, the band will return to the studio to begin work on the followup to 2008′s Moonwink. Tickets to select dates are available via Ticketmaster.com.

09/16 – Philadelphia, PA @ Adrienne Theatre
09/19 – West Chester, PA @ Myrick Conservation Centre
10/21 – Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brendas
10/22 – Cambridge, MA @ TT The Bears
10/24 – Washington, DC @ Rock n Roll Hotel
10/25 – Chapel Hill, NC @ Local 506
10/27 – Asheville, NC @ Grey Eagle Tavern
10/28 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
11/02 – Nashville, TN @ The Basement
11/03 – Bloomington, IN @ The Bishop
11/04 – Chicago, IL @ Schubas
11/05 – Urbana, IL @ Illini Union Courtyard Cafe
11/06 – Pontiac, MI @ The Pike Room
11/07 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Garfield Artworks

Vivian Girls 2009 Tour Dates:

With their new album, Everything Goes Wrong, due out in less than two weeks (September 8th to be exact), Vivian Girls have added to the chaos by adding 14 more U.S. dates to the upcoming schedule. Following its currently ongoing U.S. endeavor and a trip to Austria, the band will return to the states beginning October 9th. The new leg will be highlighted by multi night stops in Texas and Florida as well as a Halloween performance in Brooklyn with Crystal Stilts. Tickets to select dates are available via Ticketmaster.com.

08/25 – New York, NY @ Death By Audio *
08/26 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Babary *
08/27 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Andy Warhol Museum *
08/28 – Columbus, OH @ Summit *
08/29 – Champaign, IL @ Cowboy Monkey *
08/30 – Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle *
08/31 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry *
09/01 – Fargo, ID @ The Aquarium *
09/04 – Missoula, MT @ Union Hall *
09/06 – Seattle, WA @ Bumbershoot
09/07 – Portland, OR @ Berbati’s Pan *
09/09 – San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop *
09/11 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo *
09/18 – Kyoto, JP @ Metro
09/19 – Nagoya, JP @ KD Japon
09/20 – Tokyo, JP @ Shibuya Seco
09/22 – Tokyo, JP @ Shibuya o-nest
09/25 – Sydney, AU @ Spectrum
09/26 – Melbourne, AU @ Roxanne Parlour
09/27 – Hobart, AU @ Brisbane Hotel
09/30 – Melbourne, AU @ Northcote Social Club
10/01 – Adelaide, AU @ Metro Hotel
10/02 – Brisbane, AU @ Step Inn
10/09 – Honolulu, HI @ Loft Gallery and Lounge
10/13 – Phoenix, AZ @ Modified Arts
10/15 – Dallas, TX @ The Cavern
10/16 – Austin, TX @ Red 7
10/17 – Jackson, MS @ Hal and Mal’s
10/18 – Pensacola, FL @ Sluggo’s
10/19 – Tallahassee, FL @ Club Downunder
10/20 – Tampa, FL @ Czar
10/21 – Lake Worth, FL @ Propaganda
10/27 – Asheville, NC @ The Milestone
10/28 – Charlottesville, VA @ Outback Lodge
10/29 – Washington, DC @ TBA
10/30 – Storrs, CT @ University of Connecticut
10/31 – Brooklyn, NY @ Ridgewood Masonic Temple ^

* = w/ The Beets
^ = Crystal Stilts

Dead Man’s Bones 2009 Tour Dates:

After making its official debut at South by Southwest earlier this year, the Ryan Gosling and Zach Shields musical project known as Dead Man’s Bones will look to introduce itself to the rest of the North American this October. In support of their October 6th self-titled debut, Gosling and Shields have announced their first ever tour. The dates run from October 14th to 30th. Tickets to select dates are available via Ticketmaster.com.

10/14 – Cambridge, MA @ Brattle Theatre
10/15 – New York, NY @ Le Poisson Rouge
10/16 – Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church
10/17 – Washington, DC @ Sixth & I Historic Synagogue
10/19 – Montreal, QC @ Le National
10/20 – Toronto, ON @ The Music Gallery
10/21 – Chicago, IL @ Schubas (early)
10/21 – Chicago, IL @ Schubas (late)
10/23 – Seattle, WA @ The Triple Door
10/24 – Vancouver, BC @ Venue
10/25 – Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios
10/27 – San Francisco, CA @ Swedish American Hall
10/30 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Regent