Dth - Songs To Sleep Next To

Dth, who had released a few months ago the great "I Hope I Can Feel Something Like That One Day" has just released something new titled "Songs To Sleep Next To". Whereas his previous release seem to borrow the best elements of The Books, this album has some scattered influences, the firs two songs bring me back to the more meditative songs on Sung Tungs by Animal Collective. Slow pulsating melodic acoustic guitar chords, buzzing and chirps of nature, with only slight more electronic nuances but a very acoustic/naturey feel to the whole album. From there on, the album shifts moods and really sounds more like the album cover looks, a little darker and colder. These songs have more of an electronic ambient feel to them and must be when you have fallen asleep and all the subconscious thoughts and experiences you experience in REM or something.

Dth - Pruny Hands Felt Health

Dth - Your Eyes Are Like Wells

While Dth hasn't completely revamped his sound, it's really interesting to hear the progression over the course of a few months. It seems to me Devin has kept his process intact with the editing and mixing and what not, but has explored new themes/moods/sounds with Songs To Sleep Next To. I'm excited to hear what he does next.

The Jameses

The Jameses are an indie rock band from Lake Worth, Florida. The 80s are making a presence in music nowadays, with bedroom projects like Washed Out or Neon Indian adding onto the sound yet sounding modern with new processes with the use of computers. The Jameses sound like they could have been from the 80s, but in a way unlike the aforementioned artists--they sound like a band..playing in a room. Even with the use of drum machines The Jameses make me imagine a band playing instruments rather than chill electro dance tunes. My favorite song as of now is 5th dimension, which can be heard on their myspace page.

The Jameses - The Haunted Rider

We're playing with The Jameses tonight at Churchills in Miami, come at 9pm if you're around. Not too sure about the rest of the lineup but it will include most if not all these bands: Love Handles, Sleepy Vikings, Totem Pole, Guy Harvey and Stella.

Catch The Jameses again tomorrow, June 30th, at Propaganda with Surfer Blood, The Dewars, and Chill Pillars, an oil spill benefit show.

myspace/thejameses

ENDLESS BUMMER (JULY 17 & 18)

Endless Bummer is going on in Gainesville July 17th & 18th

"Total Bummer's Slimmer Summer Resurrection
Come see the sequel that critics will be raving about...
Can we cram it all into one day? NO!

ENDLESS BUMMER NOW WILL BE TWO DAYS STRONG!

will we have the bar up and running?
will The Flock of Seagulls show up this time?
You gotta BE there
to SEE it YOURSELF

TEN DOLLARS!
OVER 30 BANDS
3 STAGES at SPiN CYCLE

With the Triumphant Return of:

Truman Peyote
MillionYoung
Vacation Dad
Farms
Hear Hums
Totally Nebular
Dark Sea of Awareness
Attached Hands
Emily Reo
MoonLasso
Sumsun

Proudly Introducing:

TV CARNAGE
The N.E.C.
Coral Legs
Orchard Thief
Nude Sunrise
Names Divine
Diamond Man
Teeadora

Gainesville's Own:

Oh Fortuna
Michael Parallax
Rabbit Punch
Levek
Birdfeeder
jamesDUNK!
Spirit Tramp
Nicole Miglis
Scum of the Earth
Our Sun of Gold Air

Dare I say MORE...?

GET YOUR BUMMEREVENGE ON
WITH THE SEQUEL,

ENDLESS BUMMER (7/17/10)

big love,

SPIRIT CAT"

facebook/endlessbummer

lastfm/endlessbummer

Endless Bummer Compilation

1 a.m.- Michael Parallax
2 Listen - Sumsun
3 Wood Paint Rainbow - Oh Fortuna
4 Change - Hear Hums
5 Draws Into - Totally Nebular
6 Hammock- Millionyoung
7 Firetime = Snowday - Truman Peyote
8 Dream Boat - VACATION DAD
9 Wafers - Diamond Man
10 Sidpa Bardo - Dark Sea of Awareness
11 Metal On Your Skin - Emily Reo
12 We Got A Box Of White Tape Snakes - Farms
13 NW 4th St. - Levek
14 Lemonade Sundream - Rabbit Punch
15 hidden hand arithmetic - birdfeeder
16 shape/ mode - attached hands
17 Emily - jamesDUNK

download/endlessbummercomp

Ant Parade

Ant Parade is the project of a lady name Brigid from Tampa, Florida. She mostly makes music with tapes, loops, and drum machines, singing over what she lays down. The sounds then lay in fields of tape hiss from the process of bedroom recordings.

Ant Parade - Ax of God
Ant Parade - Night Set (Bloodfest 2009)



Upcoming Shows

Summer of Weirds at Churchill's(Miami): July 16th & 17th
FRIDAY July 16:
Makeshift Diaper
Mr. Feathers ( Otto Von Schirach's Voodoo Witch Doctor )
Ravelstein
Bobby Load
Boise Bob & His Backyard Band
Hear Hums (West Palm)
The President
Kenny Millions
Dyslexic Postcards
Flux Forces
Laundry Room Squelchers
Creature Tweaker Council
Puppetree

SATURDAY July 17
Funny Blood
Da Mystix
Xela Zaid
Self and Other
Ant Parade (Tampa)
Rat Bastard
Nik Magnus Shriner
The Uh... (St. Pete)
Russell
Megacunts
hahahelp!
Animals of the Arctic
Max Dance
Creature Tweaker Council
Puppetree

Ant Parade/Table tour July 20th-27th

Tue July 20th Gainesville
(without Table) @ Spagandyland
14 NW 9th Ave., Apt. A

Wed July 21st Savannah
@ Maldoror's frame shop
2418 De Soto Ave

Thu July 22nd Charleston
@ Communications Museum
58 George Street

Fri July 23rd Columbia,
@ tba

Sat July 24th Chapel Hill/Carbarro
@ tba

Sun July 25th Atlanta
@ Beep Beep Gallery
696 Charles Allen Drive NE

Mon July 26th Clyo
@ Clyo Lair

Tue July 27th St. Augustine
@ The West Nest
the corner of Pellicer and West King


Ant Parade might be for you if you enjoy Emily Reo or Dark Sea of Awareness.

myspace/antparade
blogspot/antparade

Evan Mui

Evan Mui is a folk musician from Miami, Florida. At times his sound is comparable to Elliott Smith, and I'm sure you'd like this if you were into The Dewars (which he is currently playing bass for).
He has already completed his first album "Anything and Everything" and is in the process of completing his second album.

Evan Mui - Plein Air

Evan Mui - Anything and Everything

myspace/evanmui

download/anythingandeverything

Prince Rama

Animal Collective's current fascination Prince Rama is a trio from Brooklyn, New York orginally from Florida. Their third album, "Shadow Temple" will be released on Paw Tracks this September. We got a chance to catch them live at Total Bummer back in March and filmed some of their set, it was great.






Their music brings you to a primitive, tribal, ritualistic time period with landscapes of synths and chant echoed in reverb with an array of percussive toms on top. "Lightening Fossil", which will be on Shadow Temple, captures the band's current live sound, and to prove it, below is another song from their new album "Om Mane Padme Hum" performed live on WFMU on Brian Turner's Show.

Prince Rama - Lightening Fossil
Prince Rama - Om Mane Padme Hum





SHADOW TEMPLE (produced by Avey Tare & Deakin)

01 Om Mane Padme Hum
02 Om Namo Shivaya
03 Thunderdrums
04 Storm Worship
05 Lightening Fossil
06 Mythras
07 Satt Nam
08 Raghupati




myspace/princerama
shop/pawtracks

FRIENDS

FRIENDS is this really cool band from Jacksonville, Florida. With guitar melodies agreeable with Maps and Atlases and short everchanging rhythms and progressions these guys make really engaging music.Their EP, simply titled "FRIENDS", is available for free download.

FRIENDS - A Sassy Lassy

FRIENDS - Don Don Cannelloni

We'll be playing with FRIENDS in Jacksonville on July 18th.

myspace/friends

download/friends

Michael Parallax - Cough Syrup EP

Michael Parallax (part of Oh Fortuna) from Gainesville, Florida, just released an EP titled "Cough Syrup". With 10 tracks in total you may think of it as a full-length, the work is definitely there. Cough Syrup consists of mainly one or two minute songs, with the longest being "From the Inner Lid" at 3:32. The songs share similar melodies but approach in various different ways with some songs more acoustically-driven and others with more by electronics. As with Oh Fortuna, the vocals and harmonies are really poppy and great. Sometimes there are small hints of ukulele or guitar, most times everything blended with reverb and same tape pops and crackles, nice sounding bells trailing off with delay, and waves of ambience present themselves frequently throughout the course of the EP.

Michael Parallax - Rainy Vacation

Michael Parallax - a.m.

Currently Michael Parallax is on tour with jamesDUNK, some of the dates are still to be announced so check back on their myspaces soon.

June 23- Gainesville, FL: Kickoff show @ Spin Cycle w/ Spirit Tramp and Jon Lovitz
June 24- Tallahassee, FL: @ The Charles Mansion
June 26- Louisville, KY: House Show at Joe's
June 29- St. Louis, MO: House Show w/ Pirates of the Caribbean Pts II and III
June 30- Minneapolis, MN: Medusa w/ Vacation Dad, Panda Teeth, and Farms
July 1- Chicago, IL: Mortville w/ Nude Sunrise, Vacation Dad
July 3- Chicago, IL: Ottoman Empire w/ Animal City
July 6- Cleveland, OH: @ Believeland w/ Cloud Nothings and Baby Birds Don't Drink Milk
July 7 and 8- Philadelphia, PA: TBA
July 9- DC: TBA
July 10- NYC: TBA
July 11- Boston, MA: @ The Whitehaus
July 12- Boston, MA: House Show w/ Magic Man
July 13- Asheville, NC: TBA

myspace/michaelparallax

download/coughsyrup

Levek

Currently based in Gainesville, Florida, David Levesque performs with an arranged group of up to 5 other musicians under the name Levek. His music is as intelligently written and arranged as Sufjan Stevens but plays more with "tribal" or acoustic instruments rather than creating a playful sound. I was blown away seeing Levek perform at Viernes' album release show at The Social. David switches between guitar, ukulele, keyboard and floor tom, as he sings. Joining him at the front of the stage are a few more musicians at times harmonizing with his vocal melodies and other times playing flute or more percussive instruments. Some grooving basslines and a full drum kit keep a more convientional "band" type intact, while at the far end of the stage another musician works electronic effects and other eccentric things making the live experience truely unique.

What influences such a fresh sound? Well the Dirty Projectors for one--Levek covers their song Remade Horizon very successfully.

Levek - Heave Ho
Levek - Remade Horizon (Dirty Projectors cover)


Levek will be doing a solo performance at our friend Eamon's house in Orlando on July 3rd, also scheduled to play is Emily Reo, Dark Sea of Awareness, and Hear Hums.

myspace/levek

Rare Fruit

We found Rare Fruit on accident while searching for bands in Georgia; it is a project of Kian's out of Miami, Florida. Most of Rare Fruit is created with samples, tape loops, guitar, and effect pedals. The tape loops are made from cassettes, opened and the tape conected to itself to create a circuit. The same method is also used with reel-to-reel tapes. Kian records onto some of these tapes and the rest come from found sounds of tapes mostly acquired at garage sales. The results are pretty cool making some unusual yet pleasing songs. You can download a free release from Rare Fruit too! If you liked Spark Routes you'd probably be into this.

Rare Fruit - Echolocation

Kian also had this really cool video on his page for the song "Lucky" which doesn't appear on the free release.

myspace/rarefruit

download/rarefruit

Viernes - Sinister Devices

Recent signees to Kanine Records, Viernes is a duo (trio live) from Winter Park, Florida. I got their vinyl when we went up to their album release at The Social in Orlando, where Levek, Chromatic Flights, and Emily Reo also performed. Viernes' performance was not very reminiscent of "Swimmer's Ear", the first song I heard from them and the only one available for download for awhile. Swimmer's Ear was this hypnotic electronic instrumental type sound and their live performance was based on electric guitar, bass, keys, vocals, and drums. So now that I'm finally hearing the album in its entirety it makes sense.


While the album seems to take some leads from label-mates Grizzly Bear, Viernes have a sound all of their own, combinding a love for vocal harmonies, dreamy synths, fuzz, electrobeats, and layers of melody. At times the jingles of magical bells and blissful synths come in and out, with guitars laid atop the whole thing; other moments are filled with electronic blips and horns. All the layers of sound meld together seamlessly with watery reverb. Each song is well constructed with progressive arrangements and different sounds in each. Some songs are thick with a full blend wet fuzzy sound the entire time and others play on an eerie type of negative space/silence/bareness. The album has enough excitement for active listening but at the same time is dreamy enough to relax and zone out in.

Viernes - Swimmer's Ear
Viernes - Honest Parade

If you're in the area, catch Viernes with Hear Hums July 30th at Propaganda in Lake Worth, Florida.

myspace/viernes
buy/sinisterdevices

Dream Panther - Birds of Paradise

Last week I got an email from these cool dudes Dream Panther from Los Angeles, California. They make sounds you'd hear in a jungle or at least a big reverberating human environment with jungle projections on a wall. "Birds of Paradise" was just released on cassette but is also online for free download. The album just reaches the 3o minute mark and worth the experience to hear it from start to end."Birds of Paradise" is characterized by reverse sounds, bird chirps, reverb, and far away melodies. Ideal for a meditative mood, background calmness, or full blown mind expansion.

myspace/dreampanther

download/birdsofparadise

Evenings

Evenings is an electronic project of this guy Nathan from Virgina. He makes some really nice laid back melodic insturmental pop. His first release North Dorm EP is dropping July 20th, there's already two songs lingering around "Still Young" and "Friends" and both are really really good.

Once the EP is released, Nathan's going to work his setup and start doing some shows. Hopefully we can bring him to Florida by 2011.





myspace/evenings
bandcamp/evenings

Many Mansions

Rooted in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, Shane Donnelly is Many Mansions. With a musical and lyrical theme of consciousness, frequency, and onessness, his album "Return to Source" is a mystical electroacoustic adventure into oneself. Sometimes there is a presence of layers of chanting voices and drums and other times more ambient waves of reverberating sounds.

Many Mansions - Big White House
Many Mansions - Oneness

We got some footage of Many Mansions at Total Bummer in Gainesville.


He has also released a split with Truman Peyote titled "Peaced Together"

myspace/manymansions

Viva Le Vox

Viva Le Vox is a rockabilly group based in Lake Worth, Florida. I say rockabilly, but I'm not sure if that's exactly right, it's also got some haunt and mystery to it, you'll have to hear for yourself. The group has been around longer than I can remember, playing what seemed like 2 to 4 shows each week for extended periods of time. If any South Florida group deserves the attention, it's these guys, with all the work and dedication to music they've shown through these past years. They have just released their second album, "Wayward Ones", the other night at a release show at Respectables in West Palm.

Their live show is engaging, with Anthony going crazy on a minimalist drum set up, breaking at least a pair of brushes each show. Scarecrow wraps his fingers in ductape because of how hard he plucks his upright bass.



They made an appearance at Total Bummer festival last March, and are about to embark on one of two tours spanning from now until September hitting a bunch of cities on the east coast. Unfortunetly, Viva Le Vox doesn't appear to have any free tunes online, but you can preview a bunch of songs on their myspace or buy their album on Cd Baby.

myspace/vivalevox
buy/vivalevox

railcars remixes

railcars has just released a free download of a bunch of remixes of the songs "Castles" and "Cathedral with No Eyes". But these remixes are by none other than No Age, Xiu Xiu, Lucky Dragons, White Rainbow, Truman Peyote, and Jean Wilder's Day Off.

railcars - castles (lucky dragons remix)

myspace/railcars
download/railcarsremixes

The Band In Heaven

I got an email today from muffled fuzz enthusiasts The Band In Heaven, a relatively new band from West Palm Beach, Florida. It seems as though they adorn their recordings with similar lofi production methods of Beach House or Ariel Pink, but are more guided by the melodies of 80s and 90s Indie Rock, which is confirmed with a cover of a song by The Cranberries.

A Tunnel Into Your Dreams - The Band In Heaven
Dreams (Cranberries Cover) - The Band In Heaven

Since these come from a collection titled "demos" on their bandcamp page, they may have a full-length brewing.

myspace/thebandinheaven
download/thebandinheaven

Tumbleweave

Monsters' Ben Mendelewicz has been keeping busy with a new project Tumbleweave. It could be thought of as the hypercompressed-lofi-chip tune-bit crushed-obsessed-attention defecit disorder-little brother of Yip Yip, upon first listen. But there's definitely more than that, and with 2 out of the 3 songs on Tumbleweave's free EP under a minute long, it's gonna take a few listens to form your own idea.


Tumbleweave - Mystery Lynch
Tumbleweave - Pornstars Built The Pyramids


"Mystery Lynch" sort of brings me back to the days of Thunderbirds Are Now! , whereas "Pornstars Built the Pyramids" remind of fighting Bowser in Mario games or the egyptian levels.

myspace/tumbleweave
download/♪♫♪♫♫♫♪♪♫♪

Panda Teeth

Long time friends of Andy (Vacation Dad) and Ben of Farms, Ronnie Lee is Panda Teeth. The three had known each other for years, whether it was being involved together in old bands, or playing the same shows together in seperate bands. It's clear this time together has made a consistant element in Panda Teeth, Vacation Dad, and Farms--some form of songwriting with one strong percussive element and one main melody approached in three different ways with the types of instruments and sounds encompassed in each music project.


Panda Teeth - I'm Sick of Chip Breaking The 4th Wall


Ronnie, Ben, and Andy drove down to Gainesville last March for Total Bummer, and while in town they jammed with Truman Peyote, and Levek at "The Birdcage" which I think is JT's (Oh Fortuna, Rabbit Punch) house.







myspace/pandateeth
download/pandateeth

Attached Hands

Expermentalists focused more on soundscapes than reproducing pop songs, Orlando-based Attached Hands are worth looking into. We recently did a show with them in Orlando at Uncle Lou's and brought them down, (more thanks to Steev Rullman and Sumsun) to play in Lake Worth at Propaganda shortly after that.

Their live performance might hit you like Black Dice but slightly more forgiving on your eardrums. The two members stations themselves at a long table covered in wires and electronics; one has a collection of these paper sample cards that he slides slowly through a machine that reproduces the sounds, never seen anyone use something like that for a live performance. The other is constantly turning knobs, playing different keyboards and triggering samples. The experience is very much about falling into the sound that fills the room and looping visuals with extended periods of time meditating on one idea or main element. The recorded tracks render the experience into a faster progression but is true to the zone it puts you in.

attached hands - versatility of movement




myspace/attachedhands
buy/versatility of movement

Vacation Dad

Vacation Dad is 1/2 of Farms, a creative duo from Wisconsin. Sounds to me like a melodic electronic jungle projected in your own brain. Vacation Dad is a more chill and magical side of Farms and definitely worth checking out.


Vacation Dad - Dream Boat
Vacation Dad - This Isn't Fun Anymore

Vacation Dad and Farms are currently booking and playing a month long tour around the states, they're playing Endless Bummer in Gainseville, FL along with us and some other really good bands July 17th.

myspace/vacationdad
soundcloud/vacationdad

Flower Flower - Go Mordecai

Recently I downloaded the 7-song "Go Mordecai!" by Flower Flower, an indie folk sounding band from Miami, Florida.

Half indie rock half feel-good melodic pop. At times breaking out into a more aggressive distorted approach, and other times laid back, acoustic, and folky.

Flower Flower - *Wither Winter
Flower Flower - Indigo


I saw one of their shows in Miami awhile back, they played with Totally Nebular. "Go Mordecai" is a good representation of their live performance--vocals, drums, electric guitar, keyboard, and occasionally some bells or tambourine or hand claps. Their performance was great and easily stood up to the recordings.
















myspace/flowerflower
download/gomordecai

Surfer Blood on Causecast

Surfer Blood speak about Haiti, "Armchair Activism", consumer consciousness, and more.

Taken from the Causecast website:

"Causecast, dubbed 'a one stop philanthropy shop' by TechCrunch, is a platform where media, philanthropy, social networking, entertainment and education converge to serve a greater purpose.

People want to do good, want to be inspired, and want to inspire others to join them in giving back. Causecast makes this easy by providing users with means to CONNECT with people, leaders, charities, nonprofit organizations, and brands that inspire them"

Swimming Field

Ralph Guinta put Memory Tape's "Swimming Field" to some 16 mm footage projected and filmed.

Maybe if I put this out there in words it will come to be quicker. Ralph Guinta and his brother ae moving to Orlando to start a band with our friend Eamon Ford and some other friends. They've been playing together for a long time and it really needs to come together; they make some of the best jams I've heard.

tumblr/ihatewetsocks

flickr/ihatewetsocks

myspace/ralphguinta

The Dewars

Finally the Dewars have some music online. They've been playing shows for a few years now with different configurations of friends and family and are now getting things together to share with people. I've watched "Pedophile Pete" evolve over the years and it's really cool to hear the completed song.

The Dewars - Pedophile Pete

From what I know Anthony And Zachary are to release an album called "Songs from the Neverglades"; they've given a several disc collection of demos to a small group of people and will hopefully have the final thing for the rest of us very soon.


myspace/thedewars

Dark Sea Of Awareness

Last Monday and a Friday or two ago we played with Dark Sea of Awareness; it's the name of Steve Head from Winter Park, he just toured with Attached Hands, Emily Reo, Rabbit Punch, and Michael Parallax, and he's coming to West Palm Beach today to play at Propaganda with Sumsun, Hear Hums, and the rest of the bands listed above.

The two sets I saw seemed to give me a very different feeling but strangely enough with pretty much the same melodies and equipment. I'm really not sure if Dark Sea's sets are improved but the performance each time has been an interesting experience that I can really fall into.

Dark Sea Of Awareness' self titled album is similar to the live experience but definitely more detailed, sometimes falling more toward guitar-based, but usually electronic and ambient. It's really clear and defined, yet spacey and atmospheric. You decide the images it makes for you.


Dark Sea Of Awareness - Sidpa Bardo
Dark Sea Of Awareness - Untitled Sampling


myspace/darkseaofawareness
download/darkseaofawareness