The Spilljoy Ensemble is an feisty group of spoken word performers/instrumental slam poets, and the primarily Brooklyn-based collective is worth having a look at. Danny Sherrard (Seattle), Jon Sands (NYC via Cincinnati), Shira Erlichman (Boston) and Ken Arkind will do nothing less than make you think.
The Spilljoy Ensemble, like a 21st century beat group, have just enough word strength that maybe some day they will influence music in the way that Kerouac and Ginsberg did, minus all the drugs.
Usually our Featured Band posts are about up-and-comers and folks who are new to the game. Today, though, not so much.
It occurred to me a few days back that in my entire tenure at Buzzgrinder, I had never once mentioned R. Stevie Moore. For those unaware, Moore has been recording music since he was 16 and has released something like 2,503,758 tapes and CDs. Actually it’s more like 400, but that’s not too shabby, either.
His stuff is so phenomenal — and so under-appreciated. Sure, the highest class of ass clowns music aficionados are more than aware of Moore’s output. But don’t let that put you off. His stuff is good for people who aren’t jerks, too.
And almost more importantly, Moore’s DIY attitude should be inspiring (and has inspired) plenty of folks to hunker down with that four-track and get to work. He’s proof that you don’t need HDR press shots, tour buses packed with Xbox 360s and $20,000 Pro Tools rigs to make good music. I think this sums it up pretty well:
Moore’s music, a blend of classic pop influences, arty experimentalism, idiosyncratic lyrics, wild stylistic left turns, and homemade rough edges, is one of a kind, but entire generations of lo-fi enthusiasts and indie trailblazers, from Guided By Voices to the Apples in Stereo, owe much to Moore’s pioneering in the field.
Mountain Asleep has a nice mix of punk, hardcore, post-punk, post-hardcore and downright fun. Plus they have some awesome shirts. Which I wouldn’t mind having, if any of the band members are reading this. Hint hint. Hint.
Also, they’re doing a mostly east coast tour in May.
Chase Pagan has a new album, Bells & Whistles, out June 9 on Esperanza Plantation. In addition, Chase has been sweet enough to take over Buzzgrinder for the day. That’s right, lazy day watching our stories for the Buzzgrinder staff.
My name is Chase Pagan, and I’m taking over Buzzgrider for one day. So being from Arkansas, I’m going to take this opportunity to share some things about this place. Mostly Music.
We’re gonna start with Christopher Denny. He has one of the most “Arkansas voices” in Arkansas!
I first met Chris when he was working at a coffee roasting company several years back. He was — and is — the most southern guy I know in the south, and his music is amazing! I asked him to come sing on a song,on my new record called John & Betty.
So go listen to that at www.myspace.com/chasepagan. The voice that you might have thought was a soulful woman — that is Christopher Denny.
He’s just announced some tour dates, so check him out in your city and listen to his music.
Our good buddy Matthew Putman (of, well, too many awesome bands to count) joined up with Eric James make up The Early Hours. Most Buzzgrinderers know that the band is good by default, what with Putman being involved. But James is no slouch either!
They recently released an EP by the name of Falling Elevators, which is available on iTunes. There are also three songs up on NoiseTrade with a name-your-price download option.
Why do these bands from Michigan keep making me betray my Buckeye heritage by enjoying their music? Deastro is just the latest example. It’s electro without being “electro” and possibly neo-pysch without being “neo-psych.” Plus Deastro has an album out now on Ghostly, which has the second best logo of all labels in Michigan (behind Suburban Sprawl, obviously). So that counts for something.
When I listen to The Word Play, it’s obvious from the get-go that these dudes are part of the Suburban Sprawl family. They just have the angular pop sensibility the SubSprawl roster seems to share.
And speaking of the SubSprawl family, I’ll be seeing Javelins tomorrow night at the Vernon Club.
Pretty sure I’ve mentioned this before, but I’m usually not too high on female vocalists — unless it’s a nice throaty alto in the vein of Heartless Bastards frontlady Erika Wennerstrom.
Anni Rossi, however, doesn’t have that growl. But she’s won me over with her viola (it’s not a violin, jerks), quirky rhythms and earnest inflections. Especially with a song like Machine. I can’t keep from being entranced every time I hear it.
Rockwell, her 4AD debut, is out March 10. Get your hands on it.
The self-titled Touch and Go debut from Sholi (out Feb. 17) landed in my inbox not too long ago. And it didn’t take long until I was hooked. They’ve got enough noisy dissonance to make things interesting, but enough actual music to keep me from putting a hand drill to my skull bones. It’s just the right mix.
If you’re lame enough to live on the west coast (you know who you are), you can see Sholi at San Fransisco’s Noise Pop Festival. Speaking of bands at Noise Pop, Goblin Cock is going to be there, too. It’s funny because it’s about a goblin’s privates. I think goblin is a euphemism for Danny DeVito. Or Ted Lange.
