Iconoplasty, Schwervon!, JamesPlaneWreck and CAMP @ the Crux (5/29/13)

I learned about this show thanks to a press release that I'd received about a month prior.  It came from Olive Juice Music, a DIY label now based in Kansas City.  It invited me to hear the new album by one of their bands, Schwervon!, and to see them play the Crux.  After I listened to the album, I emailed back that I definitely wanted to see them.

It didn't hurt either that this show would be the last (around these parts, anyway) set up by my friend Keesha Renna's Vagabond Promotions.  Keesha's moving to North Dakota to work and to see what she can see.  I wish her all the best.  I also hope that she doesn't forget about us here in Boise.

I counted eight people at the Crux when I got down there.  The crowd never rose above twenty.  Also, that number consisted mainly of people connected in some way to the bands (friends, girlfriends, bandmates, etc.).  So it goes.

Cameron Andreas of CAMP played a solo set to kick off the show.  After his set, Andreas said that he hadn't known beforehand what he was going to play.  It showed: his straight-ahead riffing, heavily reverbed vocals, metronomic beats and whirring, hissing noises felt scattered.  His songs were still plenty appealing, but they'd have been more so with a full band.  Or, barring that, a more deliberate presentation.

JamesPlaneWreck played next.  I'd approached this set with some trepidation, having read on Facebook that a wrist injury had sidelined bassist Shaun Shireman.  They made up for this lineup shortfall, however, by playing what amounted to a plugged-in unplugged set.  Aaron Smith and Shane Brown kept their guitars at a nice simmer while Andrew Bagley injected a gentle, jazzy swing into his brushwork.  The reduced volume allowed the grim wit and somber stoicism of Smith's lyrics to move to the fore.  In this regard, this performance felt not dissimilar to, say, Nirvana taking a seat and turning down the noise.  As for the handful of sour notes?  Hey, like the songs point out, life has sour notes.

Schwervon! played next.  While this Kansas City (Kansas) band's consistently catchy tunes called to mind R.E.M., their sharp arrangements called to mind Wire or Sleater-Kinney.  Matt Mason's buzzing guitar and earnest murmur bounced with and off Nan Turner's sturdy, angular drumming and strong, sweet chirp.  They sounded thin when they needed to and massive when they needed to.  They liked their drones but knew better than to regard them as the secret of life.  Best of all, not only did they take care to make their lyrics heard, they took care to make their lyrics worth hearing.  "Daydream Ration," for example, is definitely among the smarter put-downs of indie ironic cool that I've heard ("You've got the reverb hanging from the bathroom wall./ You're just a little too eager now to not care at all.").  Now if only I didn't feel so dumb for not realizing that Mason was the one with whom I'd been communicating via email.

Josh Gross closed out the night with the strongest Iconoplasty set that I've heard so far.  His set structure may have solidified, but that let him lean harder into his riffing and make his layers of beats hit with greater precision.  The smoother transitions between segments also helped the music bite harder.  Chances seem good that he won't get caught slacking when he goes on tour with Red Hands Black Feet in August.

You can find info on these acts on Facebook and elsewhere online.  If you like what you've read and would like to help keep it going, click the yellow "Give" button and donate whatever you can.  Even $5 would help.

CAMP, Lucid Aisle and Ugly Hussy @ Neurolux (1/8/13)

I decided to check this show out because it was the first time that CAMP would play a Radio Boise gig.  Actually, as far as I know, this was the first time that CAMP would play a show at Neurolux.  Anyway, this show also gave me the chance to see Lucid Aisle, whose set at the MV & EE show had impressed me greatly, and Ugly Hussy, an act I'd never heard of before.

I counted twenty people when I arrived at Neurolux.  The crowd would double by the time that Lucid Aisle played.  Not bad for the first Radio Boise Tuesday of the year.  Also, I saw among the audience Cameron Andreas's bandmates from the new Green Jello: Dustin Jones, Geno Lopez, even Bill Manspeaker.  Wow, guy must really dig this town...

Ugly Hussy opened the show.  With just a Fender guitar and some looping pedals, this local musician conjured up a dense fog of chiming riffs and licks, clanging beats and ethereal tunes.  He got some much-earned whoops and cheers, and not just from the friends/family (I'm guessing) who moved up front to take pictures with their smartphones.  If someone's looking to fill a bill with Iconoplasty, this guy would fit nicely.

Lucid Aisle played next.  About midway through this set, I started feeling kinda sorry for CAMP.  If I were in a rock band, no way in hell would I ever want to follow a performance like this.  Between their muscular drums, their coursing basslines and their carpet-bombing guitar, this trio called to mind Brett Netson and Snakes but with better tunes and stronger vocals.  The audience's reaction was much less subdued here than it was at the Red Room back in November: they whistled and cheered as if this was the headlining act (I also saw one gentleman hold up his lighter).  Just a matter of time, I expect...

Lucid Aisle may have stolen some of their thunder, but CAMP's set was still worthy of its live broadcast on Radio Boise.  Pops Miranda's nimble drumming, Aaron Ajeti's rumbling bass and Cameron Andreas's screeching guitar bounced and surged and skanked together in fine style.  Cameron Andreas's croon sounded in good form, and he tossed in some pleasantly weird synthesizer noise as well.  This performance received some warm applause as well as some dancing from Geno Lopez and an unidentified lady.  The dancing was pretty adorable, I must admit.

You can find info on these acts on Facebook and elsewhere online.  Special thanks to Eric Gilbert and Radio Boise.

Gauntlet Hair, CAMP and Blurred-Vision @ the Crux (11/30/12)

This show caught my attention because it had been set up by WavePOP, a new indie label founded and chaired by CAMP's Cameron Andreas.  Cameron has proven himself a creative, ambitious, good-natured gentleman in my conversations with him, so I wanted to wish him well and see how this concert (WavePOP's first in Boise, as far as I know) would pan out.

It certainly seemed off to a good start when I arrived at the Crux.  I counted about sixty people, almost all of whom were on their feet.  I imagine that the Crux made some good coin on beer this night (though they may have needed to spend a bit of it to clean the floor afterwards).

Local electronica duo Blurred-Vision filled in for Shades, some of whose members reportedly couldn't play due to illness, and opened the show.  Their cute little beats and tunes had me wondering again when Crockett and Tubbs were gonna show up.  The overwhelmingly hipster-ish crowd politely bounced on their feet.  This set's liveliest element were the colored swirls, glowing grids and oddball live footage that played on the wall behind the stage.  These montages came courtesy of the gentlemen at antimagic.

Bodybuilding poodles?

Next up was CAMP, who had apparently put themselves on the bill at the very last minute.  I'm glad that they did: it gave me the chance to observe how their ease and confidence seems to have deepened since I last saw them.  Drummer Pops Miranda did an especially fine job, augmenting his forward thrust with a jazzy elegance.  Meanwhile, Aaron Ajeti's basslines sounded extra sinewy and Cameron Andreas's guitar as trippy as ever.  Also, for the first time ever, I could make out some of the lyrics.  Didn't sound bad at all.  The crowd seemed to thin out quite a bit during this set, but at least the folks who stayed moved around some.

Gauntlet Hair closed out the night.  This Chicago trio blended dreamy pop-tunes, light vocals and chiming guitar with droll basslines, propulsive drumming and a touch or two of howling distortion.  Their tough, supple grooves got the people dancing, and antimagic's flashing squares, blurred-out live footage and swirling shapes added to the music's misterioso quality (I especially liked how they incorporated the cow skulls over the stage into the images).  Hypnotic, beguiling stuff.

You can find info on these groups and WavePOP on Facebook and elsewhere online.

Hume, CAMP and Urb @ the Red Room (9/22/12)

 

This show caught my attention initially because it gave me the chance to see two groups unknown to me and the local band Shades, whom I haven't seen in I don't know how long.  Then, as an extra bonus, the Twin Falls/Boise band CAMP got added to the bill.  Yeah, I needed to work at seven the next morning, but a show like this promised to be worth a little sleep deprivation.

 

 

I left the house a little late due to some catch-up work for this blog, but I figured I'd have plenty of time before the show began.  Imagine my surprise when I got to the Red Room and found that the opener had already started.  What is this world coming to?  Anyway, I saw a respectable enough 30-plus people there when I arrived.

 

 

Local band Urb played first.  I liked well enough what I caught of their set--steady drumming, gliding basslines, searing guitar.  A little stiff-jointed and maybe a little reminiscent of Stargaze Unlimited, but worth keeping tabs on.

CAMP took the stage after Urb.  Aside from a couple of issues with Cameron Andreas's pedals (which kinda fit in with the overall sound anyway), their scorching guitar, their smooth, nimble basslines and their malleable drumming all sounded in fine form.  Adding to the music's power was a trippy projection show courtesy of the gentlemen at antimagic.  The beginning of a beautiful friendship, I hope.

After CAMP came Hume.  Between their serene bass, their mind-bending waves of guitar distortion and their seismic dual drumming, this Baltimore-based band had the crowd in its thrall.  When combined with antimagic's dazzling montages, the effect was simply overpowering.  Definitely worth keeping tabs on this group.

Unfortunately, I had to leave before Shades played.  I can handle a little sleep deprivation, but the voices start talking a little too loudly when I don't get at least four hours of shut-eye.  Oh well.  I'll get to see them soon, I'm sure.

You can find info on these groups on Facebook and elsewhere online.  Special thanks to Eric Gilbert and Duck Club Presents.

Storie Grubb and the Holy Wars, New York Rifles and CAMP @ the Red Room (7/18/12)

This show excited me because it heralded the return of Storie Grubb and the Holy Wars, a local group that I've always liked but never had the chance to write about (until this show, they hadn't played live since Treefort).  Of course, it didn't hurt that one of Twin Falls' finest, CAMP, would be playing a set also.

Storie Grubb has quite a healthy fanbase around Boise, so I'd anticipated a substantial turnout.  No such luck: I don't think that the audience count rose above fifteen, and that number includes me, a friend whom I'd dragged along and the bar staff.  So it goes, I guess.  There'll be more Storie Grubb gigs soon (hopefully, anyway).

CAMP started off the night.  They played with just the three members shown above, but they didn't need anything more to deliver a good performance.  The basslines sounded as fluid and driving as ever, the drumming sounded as dynamic as ever, and the psychedelic guitar sounded as mercurial as ever.  Listening to them this night, I reflected that it almost doesn't seem right to brand this group's music shoegaze: it's so energetic and outgoing that it seems to throw its eyes everywhere.

After CAMP came the Portland-based trio New York Rifles.  I felt sorriest for this group about the show's low attendance: their performance deserved a crowd at least three or four times bigger.  This band's music was as wiry as their lead singer's frame.  Nate James's clipped drumming, Jamie Gould's big, tuneful basslines and Scott Young's slashing riffs, piercing solos and high, sly singing served up unfaltering, poppy punk tunes (or punky pop tunes, whichever you prefer).  Hopefully, these guys'll come back around sometime soon and play to a larger audience.

Storie Grubb and the Holy Wars closed out the night.  Their time away seems to have done them a world of good: this may well have been the strongest and most assured set that I've seen them play so far.  Their bass player, Luna Michelle, told me that they won't wear costumes onstage anymore.  It shouldn't make much difference; their music is all that they need.  Storie Grubb's irresistible melodies, sweet harmonies, steady beat, clean guitars and fancifully sardonic lyrics don't remind me of anything so much as the Doug Yule-era Velvet Underground (though their drummer rocks so hard that he's closer to DJ Bonebrake or Keith Moon than to Maureen Tucker).  Their speeded-up/slowed-down versions of songs that I've heard several times before sounded so right-on-the-money that I seemed to be hearing them for the first time.  It's good to have them back.

You can find info about these groups on Facebook and elsewhere online.

Twin Falls Invasion @ the Red Room (6/30/12)

When I heard about this show, I thought that it sounded like a great idea: a night showcasing up-and-coming bands from Twin Falls.  Some readers will know how impressed I've been with some bands from that region, so of course, I was eager to check this out.

Regrettably, attendance for this show was far lower than I or probably anyone else expected.  Most likely, this was due to much of its potential audience blowing its wad at last night's show at the Red Room, Neurolux's Valient Thorr show or the VAC's Delicate Steve show.  Some folks just gotta work on their stamina, I guess...

First up was Bear Refuge, a punk-folk duo.  Look this group up on Facebook and you'll find this self-description: "i play shitty music" [sic].  I'm tempted to let it go at that, but that wouldn't be altogether fair.  Their songs weren't without their rhythmic, lyrical and (even though they all repeated the same basic pattern of chord changes over and over) melodic appeal.  Still, the hint of smugness that I detected in Ehron Essig's deadpan stage act and snide, whiny, quavery singing got on my nerves.  He reminded me of every snotty little brat I've wanted to throttle since kindergarten.  In the end, this set got over on the electric guitar player's laconically expressive fills.

Next up was another acoustic-electric duo, Jimithy Feeds.  If the guy playing acoustic guitar looks familiar, that's because he played electric guitar in Bear Refuge (apparently, that happens quite a bit among groups in Twin Falls: folks pitch in and help each other out with their respective projects).  You could imagine Bear Refuge sounding a bit like this group when it grows up: they had more forthright singing, flashier guitar, more distinctive songwriting.  A better sense of humor too: they kicked off their set with a nice deconstruction of the 60's pop chestnut "Barbara Ann."

After Jimothy Feeds came Meth House Party Band, whose set this night was a vast improvement over their Atypical Tuesday performance back in May.  Sturdy tunes, funny lyrics, high energy, strong riffs and groove (well, as much as hardcore will allow), impressive guitar noise.  "Don't think that our shitty bands are all there is in Twin," their bass player said at one point.  "There really are some good bands out there."  Some people are just too hard on themselves.

Surf-punk trio Holograms were up next.  I held very fond memories of their Atypical Tuesday performance, but that didn't prepare me for the raw power of their set this night.  Screeching metal guitar, fierce drumming, winningly harsh vocals.  A nice little mosh pit formed during the middle of their set, and not without good reason.  RAWK!

Hardcore quartet Bad Carb played next.  Their songs suffered a bit in comparison with Holograms', but they still delivered an entertaining set.  And boy, did that lead singer have some energy!  He hopped down and moshed with the crowd, jumped onto one guy's shoulders and rode piggyback, rolled around onstage, jumped around, headbanged and never stopped singing the whole time.  This was doubly impressive when one considered that he'd already played drums for Meth House Party Band and bass for Holograms.

After Bad Carb came CAMP, whose lineup this night included horn player Shane Cox once again and, in a brief cameo, Katie Vant from The Gunfighters.  Cox's trumpet and trombone sounded a little out of place early on, but as the set progressed, it started feeling like it had always been there.  Cameron Andreas's guitar sounded a little out of tune at a couple points, but that didn't prove too bothersome.  Meanwhile, their drumming was as strong as ever, and the bass sounded even more fluid than usual.

Hedtriip closed out the night and sounded as rousing and danceable as ever.  I'll take this guy over a DJ any night.  Well, except maybe Kathy O (who else would dare follow Black Sabbath with the B-52's?) and Doug Martsch (I never thought I'd live to see a dance floor full of people grooving out to "White Light/White Heat").

You can find info about most of these groups on Facebook.

Summercamp 2 @ the Red Lion Hotel Canyon Springs in Twin Falls (6/16/12)

Being unemployed does have its advantages sometimes.  For instance, when I get invited to a mini-festival out in Twin Falls, there's nothing to keep me from hopping into my faithful Toyota Camry and heading out to the highway.  Of course, it helps to take along a couple of very good friends who are more than willing to chip in for gas.

We spent a pleasant couple of hours driving down I-84 and listening to the Rolling Stones' Exile on Main St. and Leonard Cohen's Live in London.  We arrived with enough time to say hello to Cameron Andreas of CAMP, who organized this shindig, have a beer and then head over to the conference room.

Here's a picture of my companions.  The pretty lady is Keesha Renna of Vagabond Promotions.  The guy over to the right is Brent Massey.  He's a gentleman, a scholar and a fine judge of whiskey.  No, seriously, he is all of these things.

photo by Keesha Renna

photo by Keesha Renna

As the bands played, the projection on the wall seen above showed A Clockwork Orange, Night of the Living Dead, 2001 and some trippy, swirly stuff.  The crowd started off at about twenty and built as the evening progressed.  Not a huge audience (Cameron Andreas speculated that most of the folks who would've come were down in Utah at Warped Tour) but big enough and as enthusiastic as you would've liked.

First up was Bad Carb, a Twin Falls-based hardcore group.  A couple of folks in Boise recommended that I check these guys out.  Now that I have, I can understand why: they had solid tunes and guitar riffs, a sturdy rhythm section and effectively snide, Darby Crash-esque vocals.  Their G.G. Allin cover stood out, but only because it didn't sound as good as their originals.  Not bad at all.

After Badcarb came P36, a Boise-based, metallic punk band.  Their good arrangements and tight groove rendered their straightforward music worthy of the mosh circle that a couple of dudes in the audience formed.  I kinda wondered why they saved their most impressive soloing for the "Rock You Like a Hurricane" cover, but what the hell.  Stroke of genius: their cover of Pachelbel's "Canon in D major," into which they inserted quotations from Chumbawamba, Men at Work, Green Day, Snoop Dogg, Kid Rock and I can't remember who else.

After P36 came Third Base, which featured the bassist and drummer of P36 and Jason Rucker from the Boise punk band The Useless on guitar.  This set was just pure trashy fun: covers of Van Halen's "Hot For Teacher," Peaches's "Fuck the Pain Away" and Danzig's "Mother," originals with titles like "WTF BFF" and "Sic Semper Tyrannosaurus."  Rucker's guitar playing sure wasn't no joke, though.

Next up was Boise-based hip-hop duo Dedicated Servers.  Their nerdy, geeky vibe reminded me a little of the Beastie Boys.  More importantly, so did their music: lyrics that didn't bother with any bling or gangsta b.s., steady flow, spartan but catchy beats.  They got the crowd chanting, dancing and clapping to the beat.  Word.

CAMP played after Dedicated Servers.  Between the dimmed lights, the cosmic projection show, the immensity of the sound and the smallness of the room, this was the most powerful set by this Twin Falls group that I've seen/heard so far.  The psychedelic distortion of Cameron Andreas's guitar washed over the crowd, the drums sounded downright thunderous, the bass rumbled underneath everything and the keyboard filled in what little sonic space that there was left.

The enraptured audience danced like maniacs.  The homecourt advantage undoubtedly helped, but really, the music was that good.

One-dog act Hedtriip closed out Summercamp 2 in fine fashion.  A strobe light flashed and the last 20 or so minutes of 2001 (basically, everything after Dave Bowman turns off Hal 9000) played as Hedtriip cranked out his industrial-strength dance rock.  The crowd went even wilder: they cheered, screamed, shouted, danced.

The only sour note of the night had nothing to do with the music.   When my friends and I went out to my car after the show, we found that it had been egged a little.  We stopped at a gas station a few blocks away and cleaned it up pretty well, though.  Yay teamwork!

photo by Keesha Renna

You can find info on all of these groups on Facebook and elsewhere online.  Special thanks to Cameron Andreas for letting us come down and crash for the night.  Special thanks also to Keesha Renna and Brent Massey for the photos, snacks, gas money and wonderful company.