Consequence of Sound » The Strange Boys

Live Review: Ty Segall, White Fence at Chicago’s Lincoln Hall (5/10)

Ryan Staskel — Fri, 11 May 2012 22:59:33 +0000

There’s something happening here. Today’s music scene of mutated and fractured genres has delivered us a treasure trove of sonic wonder, yet there’s something absent from it. That missing ingredient is a sense of community. The show at Chicago’s Lincoln Hall on May 10th brought together a shockingly unpretentious crowd that was there not to be seen, but to experience the ghosts of rock history through a lineup of garage rock loyalists spearheaded by a guitar-wielding, wild-haired San Franciscan named Ty Segall.

The main attractions were no doubt White Fence and Segall, but Bitchin’ Bajas began the night with an intimate performance, as the two-man project set up their keyboards in the middle of the crowd and turned out a dizzying set of krautrock ambiance. Austin garage rockers The Strange Boys had the unfortunate circumstance of soundtracking the Chicago Bulls’ exit from the NBA playoffs as the overhead projector screen was kept on for the first five minutes of their set. After a tepid response to their newer, keyboard-centric songs, The Strange Boys turned it around when Ryan Sambol picked up his guitar and harmonica and tore through “Be Brave”.

The prolific psych-garage weirdos White Fence tipped off their set with a dense wall of guitar fuzz. Frontman Timothy Presley –looking like a young Donovan — thrashed around the neck of the guitar, with his fingers moving the speed of a hummingbird’s wings. The band opted to bring the noise rather than draw heavily from their 2011 two-volume singles collection. This approach brought a brand of energy that lent itself to a live setting, but it removed any shred of the hooks or songcraft heard on their studio counterparts. This didn’t seem to matter much to the amped crowd.

Segall then took the stage looking like the healthier, older brother of the late Jay Reatard and was joined for a two-song set alongside members of White Fence to celebrate their new collaborative album, Hair. “Scissor People” was the moment when the bubbling energy finally burst, ushering in an intensity from the crowd that didn’t wane until the houselights came on later in the night. From the balcony, the swirling crowd looked like a human garbage disposal with fists flying and crowd surfers gurgling to the top of the sweaty mess while literally giving the middle finger to those sitting comfortably above.

The bulk of Segall’s set came from his highly regarded 2011 album, Goodbye Bread, and was glued together by his tight-knit four-piece band. Drummer Emily Rose pounded away in an understated Meg White fashion that allowed Segall’s axe to steal each moment. Segall, unlike White Fence, struck the right balance between guitar-hero antics and sticking faithful to his songs, letting moments of song structure peek through the wild, distorted jamming.

When Segall and his band turned their focus to their upcoming LP, Slaughterhouse, he announced that it was a “collaborative effort,” and it showed. Set highlight “I Bought My Eyes” began with Segall singing, “I was a rich man/I was a poor man/But now I’ll never know” in surprising clarity before the band mowed down the audience with an aural assault. The highlight of the encores was a cover of the James Gang track “Funk #49″. The 70′s swagger of the guitar classic drew wide smiles from Segall and his band, with the crowd pausing from moshing to clap along during the drum breakdown.

On this night, Lincoln Hall, known for its pristine sound quality, was transformed into a sweat-soaked and dingy rumpus room for garage punks to thrash around in while fist pumping along to fuzzed-out anthems. After the show, the bands mingled out front, hugging, sharing cigarettes, and talking to one another. There was a who’s who of the Chicago garage scene hanging out with them. And there it was. A sense of community almost non-existent in today’s music. There’s something happening here, indeed.

Photography by Joshua Mellin.
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Video: The Strange Boys – “Doueh”

Chris Coplan — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 20:10:56 +0000

What: Austin garage punk act The Strange Boys explore their love of the Group Doueh on the streets of San Francisco in the music video for “Doueh”. The band’s latest album, Live Music, is out now via Rough Trade Records.

Directed by: Ryan Sambol and Matt Green.

The Black Belles announce 2012 tour dates

Chris Coplan — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 20:34:23 +0000

Gothic garage rockers The Black Belles will embark on a U.S. tour next month in support of last year’s self-titled debut album. The tour kicks off on February 5th in Muncie, IN, runs through February 16th in Farmington, MO, and picks back up in March for a series of shows around South by Southwest. Along the way, the band will share the stage with Bleached and The Strange Boys.

Check out the tour schedule below, along with the Jack White-directed video for “Lies”.

The Black Belles 2012 Tour Dates:
02/05 – Muncie, IN @ The Center Stage *
02/06 – Lexington, KY @ Cosmic Charlie’s *
02/07 – Nashville, TN @ The End *
02/08 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl *
02/09 – Durham, NC @ The Pinhook *
02/10 – Harrisonburg, VA @ James Madison University *
02/11 – Brooklyn, NY @ Knitting Factory *
02/13 – Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom *
02/15 – Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle *
02/16 – Farmington, MO @ The Vault
03/13-17 – Austin, TX @ South by Southwest
03/18 – Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live ^
03/19 – Laredo, TX @ Old No. 2 ^
03/20 – Dallas, TX @ La Grange
03/21 – Hot Springs, AR @ Valley of Vapors Festival

*= w/ Bleached
^ = w/ Strange Boys

Descendents, Death From Above 1979 head FYF Fest 2011

Alex Young — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 22:50:42 +0000

As founder Sean Carlson pointed out in our interview with him last winter, the Los Angeles-based FYF Fest is your feel-good success story. “I started this when I was 18,” he said. “And it took place at a bunch of little venues in Echo Park. For free. And we’re slowly moving to this national level where people fly in for it and it’s a lot bigger than it was.” For its eighth incarnation, set to take place at 1st and Main in downtown LA on September 3rd, the festival will look to further make its mark on the North American festival scene with a lineup topped by two of the year’s hottest reunites — punk legends the Descendents and Toronto noise rock duo Death From Above 1979.

Other notable acts include Broken Social Scene, Explosions in the Sky, Guided By Voices, Simian Mobile Disco, Cold War Kids, The Dead Milkmen, No Age, Dan Deacon, The Head and the Heart, Four Tet, YACHT, Smith Westerns, and The Weakerthans.

Rounding out the bill are Cults, Kid Dynamite, Girls, Glass Candy, Cass McCombs, OFF!, Japandroids, Future Islands, Ty Segall, Twin Sister, Pink Mountaintops, Chromatics, Olivia Tremor Control, The Strange Boys, Mister Heavenly, Avi Buffalo, Nosaj Thing, Title Fight, Purity Ring, Fool’s Gold, Touche Amore, and Tijuana Panthers.

Tickets for FYF Fest will start at $35 when they go on sale Friday, June 17th at 3:00 PM PDT. Once that allotment sells out, the price will increase to $40. VIP packages will also be available. Visit the festival’s website for more information.

Monotonix announce 2011 tour dates

Joe Marvilli — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 16:40:41 +0000

Monotonix‘s calendar has been pretty packed ever since they released their debut, Where Were You When It Happened?, in 2009. Tour dates in North America, Europe, and Australia took up most of last year, while 2010 was largely spent working on their upcoming second LP, Not Yet. Now Montonix are ready to show off what they’ve been working on when they hit the road next year.

We already reported on their tour dates for the rest of 2010, but a couple of special shows have been added since then. The Tel Aviv three-piece will be opening for Faith No More‘s November 30th concert at the Hollywood Palladium and their final scheduled show in Chile on December 5th. For next year, they’ll be starting in L.A. on January 27th, two days after their LP drops. From there, the band will zoom towards the Eastern Seaboard with only a few stops along the way. Currently, Monotonix will wrap the trek up in Chicago on February 11th but given how much they tour, don’t be surprised if even more dates are announced in the future.

Monotonix 2010/2011 Tour Dates:
11/30 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Palladium *
12/01 – Calgary, AB @ Broken City
12/02 – Edmonton, AB @ New City
12/03 – St. Louis, MO @ The Gargoyle Club, Washington University ()
12/05 – Santiago, Chile @ Estadio Bicentenario de la Florida *
12/06 – Tampa, FL @ Orpheum
12/07 – Tallahassee, FL @ Engine Room
12/08 – Atlanta, GA @ 529
12/09 – Memphis, TN @ Hi-Tone
12/10 – Chattanooga, TN @ Discoteca
12/11 – Toronto, ON @ Sneaky Dee’s
12/12 – Halifax, NS @ The Seahorse
01/27 – Los Angeles, CA @ Echoplex @
01/28 – San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop @
01/29 – Austin, TX @ Mohawk Outside $
01/30 – Denton, TX @ Rubber Gloves $
01/31 – New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jack’s
02/01 – Birmingham, AL @ The Bottletree Cafe %
02/02 – Nashville, TN @ The End %
02/03 – Raleigh, NC @ King’s Barcade %&
02/04 – Washington, DC @ Comet Pizza %&
02/05 – Brooklyn, NY @ 285 Kent Ave %&
02/06 – Providence, RI @ Machines with Magnets %
02/08 – Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom ^%
02/09 – Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon ^#
02/10 – St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club ^
02/11 – Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle ^#

* = w/ Faith No More
() = w/ Heavy Cream
@ = w/ Ty Segall
$ = w/ The Strange Boys
^ = w/ Jeff the Brotherhood
# = w/ Call Me Lightning
% = w/ Pujol
& = w/ Federation X

Brooklyn’s Pool Parties finally revealed

Derek Staples — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 19:35:21 +0000

Over the past four summers, New Yorkers have flocked to Brooklyn for some pretty stellar Sunday Pool Parties. And even though organizers JELLYNYC were forced to relocate the summer concert series from McCarren Park Pool — aka a real pool — to its current home at Brooklyn’s East River State Park, thanks to acts like Grizzly Bear, Dan Deacon, Beach House, Girl Talk, and Grupo Fantasma, the Pool Parties continue to remain one of the borough’s more popular summer attractions. (For context, attendance has grown from 6,000 per day at the McCarren Pool to more than 10,000 after the relocation to the river front).

So, when no Pool Parties were announced by the onset of winter and the likelihood of a return to East River State Park continued to diminish, it’s understandable why some famous Brooklynites took it upon themselves to ensure the longevity of the series — and it wasn’t Lou Reed, Nas, Jay-Z or Mos Def. The United States Senator, and Brooklyn native, Charles E. Schumer has become the unlikely champion for the event. In an era when politicians are notorious for bribery, adultery, and finger-pointing, Schumer’s diligence to secure the East River State Park and thus continue the enthusiasm around the events, demonstrates that elected officials can actually do something positive.

Ok, enough back-story, here’s the information we have all been waiting for:

Only seven of the eight concerts will actually take place at East River Park (a.k.a. Williamsburg Waterfront), as the August 1st event had to be moved to the Brooklyn Bowl. As previously mentioned, all performances take place on Sunday; they will begin July 11th and continue until August 29th. The series takes no time to heat up — the 11th features Fang Island opening up for a Xiu Xiu and Deerhoof combination who will perform Joy Division’s Unknown Pleasures. The series also includes performances by Murder City Devils, No Age, Cap’n Jazz, Cut Copy, !!!, The Strange Boys, Future Islands, Chromeo, and Delorean. No artists have yet to be announced for the Brooklyn Bowl event, and other dates hint at artists inclusions, so we are pretty sure more surprises are in store.

The complete day-to-day lineup follows, as well as the Pool Party video promo. With the free series kicking off next weekend, make sure to cancel Sunday plans and work obligations now. See you at the pool!

2010 JELLY NYC Pool Party Line Up:
July 11
Xiu Xiu and Deerhoof play Joy Division’s Unknown Pleasures, Why?, Fang Island, Pictureplane

July 18
Murder City Devils, Obits, Jeff the Brotherhood, Silverghost

July 25
Cap’n Jazz, Lightning Bolt, No Age, The Death Set

August 1 (at Brooklyn Bowl)
TBA Block Party

August 8
Cut Copy, Memory Tapes, Glasser, Restless People

August 15
!!!, Lee Fields, The Strange Boys, Future Islands

August 22
Chromeo, TBA, The Suzan, Telephoned

August 29
“Super Special Guests”, Delorean, Dominique Young Unique

Spoon takes Transference on the road

Alex Young — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 20:31:08 +0000

With Spoon‘s seventh studio album, Transference, now due out in a little over a week (but you can stream now!), the Austin outfit has wasted no time kicking the publicity train into high gear. Today, Britt Daniel and Co. unveiled a lengthy Spring tour in support of the January 19th release.

The month long endeavor will kick off with an appearance at South by Southwest, where the Spoon will, well, kick off the Austin based festival’s festivities at Stubb’s on March 17th. In the days that follow, the band will head east for a series of dates, highlighted by their first ever headlining performance at New York’s Radio City Music Hall. After that, they’ll circle back west, stopping in Chicago, Minneapolis, and Denver along the way, before ultimately concluding their travels on April 13th in Oakland, California. But being another one of those bands with a Los Angeles tour date noticeably missing from its itinerary, it’s safe to assume Spoon will continue on to the Coachella Music Festival, set to take place from April 16-18 in Indio, CA.

Deerhunter will be providing direct support on all dates, while Royal Oak, The Strange Boys, and Micachu & the Shapes will be appearing on select dates.

Tickets will be available beginning Friday, January 15th via Ticketmaster.com.

Transference is set for release on January 19th via Merge.

Spoon 2010 Tour Dates:
03/17 – Austin, TX @ Stubbs (SXSW)
03/18 – New Orleans, LA @ Republic *#
03/19 – Birmingham, AL @ Workplay Soundstage *#
03/20 – Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle *#
03/22 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club *#
03/23 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club *#
03/24 – Richmond, VA @ The National *#
03/26 – New York, NY @ Radio City Music Hall *#
03/27 – Boston, MA @ House of Blues *#
03/29 – Toronto, ON @ Sound Academy *#
03/30 – Royal Oak, MI @ Royal Oak Music Theatre *#
04/01 – Chicago, IL @ Aragon Ballroom *^
04/02 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue *^
04/03 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue *^
04/05 – Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre *^
04/06 – Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre *^
04/07 – Salt Lake City, UT @ In The Venue *^
04/09 – Seattle, WA @ Moore Theatre *^
04/10 – Seattle, WA @ Moore Theatre *^
04/11 – Vancouver, BC @ Orpheum Theatre *^
04/13 – Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater *^

* = w/ Deerhunter
# = w/ Royal Oak w/ The Strange Boys
^ = w/ Micachu & the Shapes

Scion celebrates garage rock with Scion Garage Fest

Alex Young — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 13:35:08 +0000

On October 17th, Scion, aka the car company, will celebrate one of music’s most rocking genres, aka garage rock, with the first ever Scion Garage Fest. The 43 confirmed acts, which will play four of Portland’s finest venue, includes Roky Erickson, Black Lips, Jay Reatard, The Almighty Defenders, King Khan and BBQ Show, The Dutchess and the Duke, Gino Washington, and Japanese Motors among others.

Oh, and did we mention the whole shindig is free? Just hit up scion.com to RSVP and get all the other necessary info.

Fun Fun Fun Fest unveils what will be fun in 2009

Alex Young — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 19:41:41 +0000

When you name put as many funs in your name as Fun Fun Fun Fest does, it better be good. Fortunately, the Austin based music festival usually does a good job living up to its name. After all, the 2009 edition, scheduled to take place from November 7-8, certainly exemplifies this fact, as organizers have once again put together one amazingly solid, incredibly eclectic lineup that can’t help but, well, result in some fun.

The Jesus Lizard, Of Montreal, Mission of Burma, Ratatat, The Pharcyde, and Destroyer head the recently unveiled 2009 bill. Other acts of note include Danzig, Yeasayer, Fucked Up, The Cool Kids, Wu Tang’s GZA performing Liquid Swords, The King Khan & BBQ Show, Lucero, Why?, and No Age.

As it stands, the Fun Fun Fun Fest 2009 currently looks something like this:

7 Seconds, Alaska in Winter, All Leather, Astronautalis, Atlas Sound, Bankrupt and the Borrowers, Betaplayer, The Black and White Years, Brendon Walsh, Brian Posehn, Broadcast, Buraka Son Sistema, Car Stereo (Wars), Cedric Burnside & Lightnin’ Malcolm, Chelsea Peretti, MC Chris, Coalesce, Coliseum, The Cool Kids, Crystal Antlers, Crystal Castles, D.R.I., Danzig, Dead Confederate, Death, Destroyer, The DJ Melee, Face to Face, Flipper, Foot Patrol, Fuck Buttons, Fucked Up, Gorilla Biscuits, Growing, GZA performing Liquid Swords, Hannibal Burress, Harlem, HEALTH, James Husband (Of Montreal), The Jesus Lizard, Josh Fadem, Kid Sister, King Khan & BBQ Show, The Laughing, LAX, Les Savy Fav, Low Line Caller, Lucero, Melt Banana, Metallagher, Mika Miko, Mission of Burma, Moonlight Towers, Neon Indian, The New Movement, Nick Thune, No Age, DJ Numark, Of Montreal, Off With Their Heads, Pack of Wolves, Peligrosa DJs, The Pharcyde, Rat King, Ratatat, Red Sparowes, Reign Supreme, Riverboat Gamblers, The Roller, Royal Bangs, Russian Circles, Shearwater, Shonen Knife, Ssion, The Strange Boys, Street Dogs, Sugar & Gold, This Will Destroy You, Times New Viking, Todd Barry, The Underground Railroad to Candyland, VEGA, White Kids You Know, Why?, Yeasayer, Young Widows, Youth Brigade

Early bird weekend ($67.50) and VIP ($135) are now available via funfunfunfest.com.

F Yeah Fest ’09 taps Black Lips, Tim & Eric, The Thermals, and more to save CA’s state parks

Alex Young — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 14:45:27 +0000

Now in its sixth year, Los Angeles’ F Yeah Fest has evolved into yet another incarnation. Created in 2004 by 18-year-old Sean Carlson, the event has been everything from a multi-day affair to a traveling tour. For its ’09 edition, Carleson and co-curator Keith Morris (of Black Flag) have decided to make F Yeah Fest a one day extravaganza of up-and-comers and hidden gems, all amidst a backdrop of raising awareness for the possible closure of up to 100 California State Parks.

The Black Lips, Tim & Eric, Lightning Bolt, The Thermals, and Lucero will head F Yeah Presents Save Our State Parks, set to take place on September 5th at the Los Angeles Historic State Park. Also confirmed are Converge, No Age, Fucked Up, Glass Candy, Times New Viking, Wavves, Crystal Antlers, AA Bondy, and Alkaline Trio’s Matt Skiba. The full lineup can be found over at the Festival Outlook.

Tickets for F Yeah Fest ’09 will go on sale beginning Tuesday, August 4th via Ticketweb.com and will cost you only $21 — one dollar from each ticket be donated to Homeboy Industries and Harvest of Hope. Those who volunteer will gain free access into the festival.

The Coathangers Scramble U.S. tour dates

Alex Young — Fri, 08 May 2009 16:20:27 +0000

Hot on the heels of a rockin’ performance at the Brodown Hoedown during South by Southwest last March, everybody’s favorite all girls quartet, named after shoulders designed to facilitate the hanging of a coat, jacket, sweater, shirt, blouse or dress in a manner that prevents wrinkles, with a lower bar for the hanging of trousers or skirts — so says Wikipedia, The Coathangers have announced plans for an extensive North American tour in support of the band’s recently announced sophomore studio album, Scramble.

Beginning in early June, The Coathangers will kick off what is currently a two-month endeavor with a show in the band’s hometown of Atlanta. Dates across the country follow, many of which will see the girls team up with Mika Miko and The Strange Boys, along with appearances at both North by Northeast and the Sled Island Music Festival.

The Coathangers 2009 Tour Dates:
05/11 – Atlanta, GA @ The Eyedrum
06/09 – Atalnta, GA @ The Drunken Unicorn *^
06/10 – Greensboro, NC @ Square 1 *^
06/11 – Richmond, VA @ TBA
06/12 – Baltimore, MD @ Sonar *^
06/13 – Brooklyn, NY @ The Market Hotel *^
06/14 – Brooklyn, NY @ Glasslands Gallery
06/15 – Providence, RI @ AS220
06/16 – Rochester, NY @ The Bug Jar
06/17 – Monreal, QC @ La Sala Rosa *^
06/18 – Toronto, ON @ NXNE
06/19 – Toronto, ON @ NXNE
06/20 – Chicago, IL @ The Regrets
06/21 – Madison, WI @ Brink Lounge
06/22 – St. Paul, MN @ Big V’s
06/23 – Winnipeg, MB @ The Pyramid Cabaret
06/25 – Calgary, AB @ Sled Island Festival
06/27 – Seattle, WA @ Comet Tavern
06/28 – Vancouver, BC @ TBA
06/30 – Portland, OR @ East End Tavern
07/02 – San Francisco, CA @ Hemlock Tavern ^
07/03 – San Jose, CA @ Nickel City ^
07/05 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Smell
07/06 – San Diego, CA @ The Cashbah
07/07 – Tucson, AZ @ Plush ^
07/09 – Lubbock, TX @ Bash Riprock’s ^
07/10 – Dallas, TX @ The Lounge on Elm Street ^
07/11 – Austin, TX @ Mohawk
07/12 – Houston, TX @ Mango’s
07/13 – New Orleans, LA @ Saturn Bar

* = w/ Mika Miko
^ = w/ The Strange Boys