Local indie-ish label Hardly Art announced a new addition to its excellent roster of bands earlier today and that band is Woven Bones.
On first listen the band seems to be a great addition to the roster of the burgeoning Sub Pop imprint. I'd place them somewhere between Unnatural Helpers and Golden Triangle on the 11-act Hardly Art roster. The bio of the Austin, Texas three-piece on Hardly Art's website begins with the words "raw wolfman blues, angry acid trips, psyched-out noise pop and lovelorn snarls ..." Count me in!
According to Hardly Art's publicist the label has been courting the band for a while. This lead to the group performing at Hardly Art's SXSW showcase back in March and the label and band took things from there. You can get a listen to the band's track "I've Gotta Get" by downloading it for free here. The song will be released as party of a Woven Bones 7" the label is putting out Aug. 10.
Woven Bones already has a debut album out called In and Out and Back Again that was released on Chicago label Hozac and the band already has plans to enter the studio to record follow-up to that album next year. In the meantime you can stream both sides of the 7" below and catch Woven Bones live at the Wild Rose on Aug. 14.
The world's most (and best) animated band, Gorillaz, are taking their show on the road and that road includes a stop in Seattle Nov. 2. The band, fronted by Damon Albarn but consisting of 2D, Murdoc Nicocals, Noodles and Russel Hobbs, will play KeyArena as part of their world tour. The date will be their last U.S. stop before heading to Europe. Tickets go on sale Aug. 20 for the show. Prices have not been revealed. Here's to hoping Gorillaz management allows me to use my cell phone to take notes during the concert.
Capitol Hill Block Party 2010 is now a thing of the past but you can forever relive the memories thanks to the Internet and the invention of YouTube. Below is a look at some of what I found from some of my favorite sets when I scoured the net for clips of CHBP 2010. Most of these videos are from the same YouTube user but I also took a few videos from elsewhere. If anything this will give you a taste of the diverse sounds that graced my ears last weekend.
We interrupt your regularly scheduled Capitol Hill Block Party coverage for an announcement regarding the 40th annual Bumbershoot festival which will be taking place Labor Day weekend.
It's no secret Ear Candy loves Bumbershoot. It's also no secret that Ear Candy loves a party. So it shouldn't be a secret that us here at Ear Candy HQ are beyond excited to work with the folks at Hard Rock Seattle to present the Official Bumbershoot After Party on Sept. 5 featuring Sufer Blood, Dead Confederate and Futurebirds. Here are some more details:
Headlining the party will be Bumbershoot artists and 2010 breakout act Surfer Blood. Surfer Blood has been an Ear Candy favorite ever since they dropped by Chop Suey back in Decemeber of 2009. If you're unfamiliar with Surfer Blood check out Mike Ramos' review of their album Astro Coast and scope out the video for "Swim" below.
The twenty-dime edition of CHBP is two-thirds complete which for me is the perfect time to reflect on some personal highlights from the first two days of the festival before all these good memories get erased by the pain my feet will be feeling come Monday morning.
So far the Block Party has been about three things for me: musical discoveries, spending time with friends and being around some fun-loving music fans.
Like any good summer festival CHBP packs its share of musical discoveries for those who care to venture throughout the festival grounds and find their new favorite band. Thanks to Dave Lichterman's recommendation I was able to have one of those moments of personal discovery when I walked into Caffe Vita's Bean Room to watch !!!. I had no idea what to expect because while !!! had been on my radar I never bothered to give the band a listen because I have a small and extremely unnecessary bias againt bands from Brooklyn. Well, let's just say now I am a fan and the photo on the left might partially explain why, or not since I'm guessing you weren't there in person so the picture probably won't have the same impact on you as it does me. Anyway, Jason Tang was there and he got some great pictures and I'm sure there will be video of the set on KEXP's website and I hear !!! is playing Bumbershoot so check them out Labor Day weekend.
We've hit a lull in the middle of the day, so here's another short Block Party update.
!!!: A fellow rock journo (Ed's note: That would be Ear Candy's own Dave Lichterman) pointed myself and Ear Candy head honcho Travis Hay toward the bean room for this three-song set, and it was the best suggestion in the history of suggestions. The !!! frontman was a ball of fire, and his dance moves can only be seen, not written about. He climbed up on the stacks of beans, danced his way through — and with — the crowd, and sung his little heart out. !!! is one of those bands I've long known about, but never took the initiative to listen to. Not anymore. I had a blasty blast rocking along to their dancey funk-soul-punk, and am super psyched to see them do it again on the main stage in a few hours. That's singer Nic Offer on top of the bean stacks pictured to the left.
Obits: Whether these Sub Pop stalwarts were playing three-chord power punk, searing retro-esque instrumentals, or 60s-style garage blues rock, they were always packing a whallop during their turn on the main stage. Another band I will be adding to my daily playlists when the weekend is all said and done.
So far, Saturday is shaping up to be a pretty epic day. And with Blitzen Trapper, !!! and Atmosphere closing out the main stage, it's only gonna get better.
Just a little over an hour into Day 2 at the Block Party, I've peaked in on sets from four bands. Here's what's been shaking.
The Head and the Heart: I think CHBP is all about discovering new bands, and I'm thankful because I'd never heard of this band but its right up my alley. They seem to be driving down the same road sunny folk rock troupe Dr. Dog has been paving for the past half-decade, but instead of traveling in a shaky old truck, they're all crammed into a Volkswagen Bus (the metaphor makes sense in my head, so just go with me). Gang vocal harmonies, some fancy piano work, acoustic strumming and Dexy's Midnight Runners-style violin shapes their sound. More please!
State of the Artists: It took a while, but this rap trio drew a modest crowd in KEXP's not-so-secret set-up in the Caffe Vita bean room. Of the three rappers, the one who sounds like a higher-pitched Chali Tuna stood out.
The Redwood Plan: Word is Blonde Redhead had to cancel, so the main stage acts have been pushed back. As a result, The Redwood Plan hit the stage about an hour later than scheduled, but they're currently on stage and delivering a high-energy set of Warped Tour-ready synth-dance punk.
The first day of Capitol Hill Block Party 2010 is in the books and before I head out the door to tackle day numero dos, I figured I would drop some quick thoughts about the musical events that went down Friday at Capitol Hill. In all I managed to see 11 bands and here are some words about the standout sets.
There couldn't have been a better act to open the main stage than Macklemore. His high energy and almost unmatched showmanship (at least for a local hip-hop performer) almost immediately got the party on Party Mountain poppin, making it one big honky hip-hop hootenanny. His joking comments about the "extra honky" crowd were apropos and humorous albeit slightly unnecessary since it was a Seattle hip-hop crowd after all and they are typically the whitest crowds this side of Nebraska. Joking about Macklemore's joking aside, by the time he broke out the one-two closing punch of "And We Danced" and "Irish Celebration" the honkies were having a blast and it was the best opening Block Party set I've seen.
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