Manic Presents / Premier Concerts Update 04-04-2019

Manic Presents / Premier Concerts Guest Post:

We’re back with our weekly Manic Presents Redscroll Blog! This week will be a little longer as Redscroll Records gets ready for their 12th Anniversary Sale and Record Store Day next weekend!! So here’s all the exciting announcements from this week and the next two week’s list of show! Just announced at College Street Music Hall – Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul featuring Steven Van Zandt – founding member of Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band (7/16)! At Space Ballroom – iconic ska bands Mephiskapheles and Pilfers co-headline on (5/24) and D.C. punk rockers Ex Hex on (8/20)! At Wall Street Theater in Norwalk – The Allman Betts Band featuring the sons of Gregg Allman and Dickey Betts (7/07)! Lastly, at Cafe Nine – Denver doom-metal bad Dreadnought (7/01) will perform as part of our weekly Manic Mondays series! Don’t forget to grab your tickets and RSVP today!

This week’s show schedule begins TONIGHT (4/04) with Nostalgia Personified w/ Nickelodeon’s Pete & Pete live podcast at Space Ballroom! The jam-packed weekend continues Friday (4/05) with Oklahoma garage rock band BRONCHO performing at Space Ballroom! On Saturday (4/06) we have Nashville-based singer-songwriter Old Sea Brigade at Space Ballroom (Front Room) and the SOLD OUT Cody Ko & Noel Miller: Tiny Meat Gang Live at College Street Music Hall! We continue on Sunday (4/07) with Northampton indie rockers And the Kids at Space Ballroom (Front Room)! On Monday (4/8) we have Canadian grindcore band WAKE at Cafe Nine as part of our weekly Manic Mondays series! On Tuesday (4/09) we have best selling author and poet Neil Hilborn and on Wednesday (4/10) we have Portland, ME singer-songwriter Lady Lamb performing at Space Ballroom!

Next week begins on Thursday (4/11) at Wall Street Theater in Norwalk with legendary experimental guitarist Adrian Belew! The fun continues next week on Friday (4/12) at College Street Music Hall with iconic jam band Twiddle and NYC psych-pop trio Yeasayer at Space Ballroom! Saturday (4/13) features The Claypool Lennon Delirium at College Street Music Hall and Dancehall pop sibling duo Wild Belle at Space Ballroom! Brooklyn psych-rock band Habibi headlines Manic Monday at Cafe Nine on Monday (4/15)! Tuesday (4/16) ends the weeks with Less Than Jake at College Street Music Hall.  Be sure to grab your tickets and RSVP!

CONTEST TIME! Enter for a chance to win a pair of tickets to Sheer Mag at Space Ballroom on (4/25) and a copy of their latest album on vinyl and t shirt!
Enter here: https://forms.gle/kvfDmiX2w2rDV5Cj9

Keep an eye out for more announcements and we’ll see you back here next Thursday!

Upcoming Shows…

 

TONIGHT – Thursday (4/04)
Nostalgia Personified w/ Nickelodeon’s Pete & Pete

$20/All Ages/Doors at 7:00PM

Space Ballroom – Hamden

INFO: You might remember Danny Tamberelli and Michael C. Maronna from 90’s classics like All That, Figure it Out, The Mighty Ducks, Slackers or Home Alone, just to name a few. But chances are you remember them as Pete’s on Nickelodeon’s The Adventures of Pete & Pete, where they played sharp-tongued brothers bent on adventure. Well, times have changed and the guys are all grown up — but that doesn’t mean that the adventures have stopped! Join them for their weekly podcast The Adventures of Danny and Mike where they wander into the world in search of their next great adventure. The podcast is produced by Jeremy Balon.
TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE: https://ticketf.ly/2szG0sJ

Friday (4/05)
BRONCHO w/ Lemongrab, King Bongo

$15/All Ages/Doors at 7:00PM

Space Ballroom – Hamden

INFO: Stick your head out the window and sniff the air: there’s a blizzard of badness brewing, and it’s not blowing over anytime soon. Sure, the political leaders, bullies, and other villains of various venoms are dominating the headlines, but these days the list of troublemakers extends well beyond the usual suspects.

From their home base in the Heartland, Tulsa, Oklahoma’s BRONCHO have a unique vantage point from which to survey the sins. Churning out thoughtful, nuanced rock and roll with an art school spirit and a punk rock heart since 2010, the band’s fourth album, Bad Behavior, finds them leaning into their strengths for their strongest effort yet.

Following the catchy, playful vibe of previous albums Can’t Get Past the Lips (2011) and Just Enough Hip to Be Woman (2014), as well as the deliberate sonic intent of 2016’s sludgy, moodier art piece Double Vanity, the new record reveals BRONCHO’s fly-on-the-crumbling-wall vision of our moral climate, complete with a reenergized, accessible sound and the charmingly sardonic, smiling-while-sneering delivery of singer and bandleader Ryan Lindsey.

“It’s a reflection of the current world: everybody’s been acting badly over the last few years so we made a record about it,” Lindsey says. “There are multiple ways of portraying something as ‘bad,’ and there are moments of self-reflection throughout the record as though we could be talking about ourselves—but not necessarily. It’s observational, like we’re looking through muddy binoculars from a distance. It’s a blurry mirror image of the times from where we sit.”

Lindsey (vocals/guitar) and the band—Nathan Price (drums), Ben King (guitar), and Penny Pitchlynn (bass)—are a tight unit who have seen their songs featured at influential TV and radio and have toured the U.S. and Europe, including arenas with the likes of Queens of the Stone Age, The Growlers, Portugal.The Man, and Cage The Elephant. In the gritty warehouse district of Downtown Tulsa they have carved out a physical place for themselves, an industrial blank space where BRONCHO can experiment with sounds, performance, visuals, and more. It’s where they recorded Bad Behavior with producer Chad Copelin in the first half of 2018, a controlled process that allowed them to work at their own pace and by their own standards, almost like a secret club.

Bad Behavior slinks and purrs with a sense of lascivious flirtation. Lindsey sings with a mischievous twinkle in his voice, peppering his verses with suggestive uh-ohs and ahhs and at times barely pushing out his words to the point of whispering. Lines like “You caught me in the weekend/You caught me with your boyfriend” (“Weekend”) and “I got a thing for your mother/I got a thing to teach your father” (“Family Values”) match the primal pulse of the songs’ moods and vibes, and their pop sensibilities create a world where T. Rex, Tom Petty, The Cars, and The Strokes collide. “Keep It in Line” chimes along to a driving, pepped-up beat and serves as both the album’s catchiest moment and its closest swerve toward ethical commentary, as Lindsey’s narrator demands to be reminded of his place in the world while attempting to submit to his misgivings. The result is less an act of penance and more of honest reproach, an ultimate judgment that is matched in its directness only by the following track, “Sandman,” an overt yearning for pleasure that Lindsey calls the band’s answer to The Chordettes classic “Mr. Sandman.”

The record is filled with references to religion, sin, drugs, vice, and scandal bubbling just under the surface. It’s a palette familiar to anyone who has ever turned on the evening news, which Lindsey admits was a huge influence on him. “Through the writing process I watched a lot of CNN, and man there’s a lot of bad behavior there,” he says. “Not to mention that there’s a company making money off of people watching their depiction of it all. From an entertainer’s standpoint I get what they’re doing, calling everything ‘breaking news’ and keeping people glued, but taking up that kind of space can’t be good for society. Although it’s pretty fun to watch.”

Can all this unsavory activity exist without taking sides? Lindsey holds tight to his role as a relayer and is comfortable with leaving it to the audience to cast their own lot. “We’re assuming that everybody is coming from a certain set of values, but ultimately that’s impossible,” he says. “There’s a lot of people who think a certain way about the world and aren’t as shocked by these things. Maybe we’re simply trying to start the conversation. The best news is just a report of what’s going on, without bias. This record is a non-biased, non-profit reporting on what’s going on in the world. Part of it’s an exploration in solving those problems, on a personal level and ultimately on a cultural level.”

Bad Behavior represents a picture of a band that have crushed their own commercial expectations and are doing what they want to do at their own pace. They’ve cleaned the slate and quietly made a return with urgent, bonafide pop songs. If you want to catch a whiff of Bad Behavior, simply stick your head out the window and breathe.
TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE: https://ticketf.ly/2sf0EOR

 

Saturday (4/06)
Old Sea Brigade w/ Jon Bryant, Figurine

$12/All Ages/Doors at 7:00PM

Space Ballroom (Front Room) – Hamden

INFO: It really feels like coloring outside the lines. For as much as the music of Old Sea Brigade remains rooted in Americana, indie, country, rock, and ambient soundscapes, it blurs and breaks barriers, tossing and turning between analog cinematic flourishes and provocative lyricism based on hard-won wisdom. Amidst this mélange of textures, Atlanta-born and Nashville-based singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Ben Cramer allows the emotion to resound loudest on his full-length debut, Ode To A Friend [Nettwerk].

“I put myself into my own bubble,” he explains. “The music doesn’t conform to one style. I’m in Nashville, but this isn’t straight ahead Americana or country. At the same time, it’s not just indie rock either. I chose to do something that felt like me. It’s the best representation of my songwriting and what I grew up loving about music. I hope you can pull your own meaning from it.”

He’s been encouraging audiences to do just that since first emerging in 2015. After the breakup of his last band, he wound up back in Atlanta at his parents’ house with “no idea what to do.” So, he figured it out.

The artist combed through his personal sonic archives, found inspiration, and started feverishly writing. Soon after, he teamed up with producer Jeremy Griffith to record Old Sea Brigade’s self-titled debut EP. The single “Love Brought Weight” caught fire, generating over 16 million Spotify streams. In the meantime, he inked a deal with NETTWERK after founder Terry McBride personally reached out on Facebook.

Between touring alongside Joseph, Luke Sital Singh, Lewis Watson, Julien Baker, John Paul White, and more, he released 2017’s Cover My Own EP. The lead single “Tidal Wave” quickly crossed the two-million-mark on Spotify as acclaim came from Clash, Indie Obsessive, Immersive Atlanta, and many others. During 2017, he retreated to Griffith’s Destin, FL studio in order to record what would become Ode To A Friend. In the studio, the sonic palette expanded to incorporate analog synths and a “squeaky, old, and out-of-tune piano that you’d never find in a music store—but gave the sound character.”

“This go-around, I brought in a lot of production ideas, since I’d been working with many artists in Nashville,” he explains. “I worked closely with Jeremy to bring the production to life. We went outside of the box and tried different things. That messed-up piano became a big theme of the record.”

On the lead single “Hope,” creaky ambience underscores the finger-picked acoustic guitar as he croons ponderous lines a la the opening admission, “I want to feel hope when I die, so I know what I left behind.”

He recalls, “I wrote that in Laurel Canyon at a friend’s house. That was first experience writing in L.A. like that. It wrote itself pretty quickly. It takes a while for me to figure out what a song is about. It was being really honest though. That’s how I’d describe it.”

“Feel You” sways between a steady beat offset by his gravelly delivery and sparse, off-time piano chords. “It takes on multiple meanings,” he reveals. “It could be like a bad relationship, or it could be something else, depending on your experience.”

“Seen A Ghost” hypnotizes with its airy guitars and ethereal production as “Cigarette” lights up embers of delicate picking and resounding vocals. Barely over two minutes, the title track and closer “Ode To A Friend” leaves a lasting impression that’s both heartfelt and heartbreaking with a vocal mid-section that practically levitates on the energy of raw feeling.

“When I started Old Sea Brigade, the time that followed was the best two years of my life,” he goes on. “I could tour and work on music full-time. In the middle of all that happening, one of my best friends actually committed suicide. It’s a heavy record in that respect. I came up with the lyrics right after he passed. I didn’t want a normal structure. It’s almost like an interlude to tie up the album dedicated to him. He was always such a big proponent and fan of my songs. He encouraged me to move towards a solo career. The title made sense. I finally felt vulnerable enough to put out music that was close to me.”

That’s why it’s so easy to get close to Old Sea Brigade. Cramer opens the floodgates emotionally and forges an unbreakable connection by simply being himself.

“I’d love for someone who is listening to feel like this is different and new, but also realize the vulnerability of the music,” he leaves off. “That’s definitely something I’ve struggled with in the past. This record is my leap of faith to express music in the truest way I can. I want to keep doing that.”
TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE: https://ticketf.ly/2MCA7nQ

Saturday (4/06)
Cody Ko & Noel Miller: Tiny Meat Gang Live

SOLD OUT/All Ages/Doors at 7:00PM

College Street Music Hall – New Haven

INFO: Cody Ko and Noel Miller are two former software engineers who left their rock solid, bullet proof careers to become pretty decent comedians with no health insurance. They started the Tiny Meat Gang podcast late last year, and since then, are still doing the podcast (no flex). In January of 2019, Cody & Noel will finally be achieving the American dream – setting out on a self-financed comedy tour and entertaining tens of hundreds of people around the 9th smartest nation in the world. The duo believes that the key to their success lies in their ability to overcome their small-ish physical stature with their 6 foot 7 inch personalities. Now they’re finally taking their athlete confidence and – again, pretty decent – senses of humor to the stage for an hour and a half of literal balls out comedy. Come learn how you can you summon your inner tall guy. Please (it’s self-financed).
SOLD OUT

Sunday (4/07)
And the Kids w/ Bat House, Mandala

$15 ($12 adv)/All Ages/Doors at 7:00PM

Space Ballroom (Front Room) – Hamden

INFO: Since their earliest days as a band, And The Kids have embodied the wayward freedom that inspired their name. “When Rebecca and I were teenagers we just lived on the streets and played music, and people in town would always call us kids—not as in children, but as in punks,” says Mohan. On their third full-length When This Life Is Over, the Northampton, Massachusetts-based four-piece embrace that untamable spirit more fully than ever before, dreaming up their most sublimely defiant album yet.

The self-produced follow-up to Friends Share Lovers—a 2016 release acclaimed by NPR, who noted that “Mohan’s striking vocals rival the vibrato and boldness of Siouxsie Sioux…[And The Kids] make music that’s both fearless and entertaining”—When This Life Is Over unfolds in buzzing guitar tones and brightly crashing rhythms, howled melodies and oceanic harmonies.

Although And The Kids recorded much of When This Life Is Over at Breakglass Studios in Montreal (mainly to accommodate the fact that Miller was deported to her homeland of Canada in 2014), a number of tracks come directly from bedroom demos created by Lasaponaro and Mohan. “The sound quality on those songs is so shittily good; it’s just us being so raw and so alone in the bedroom, writing without really even thinking we were going to use it,” says Mohan. “We recorded them right away, and there was a really strong feeling of ‘Don’t touch them again.’”

Even in its more heavily produced moments, When This Life Is Over proves entirely untethered to any uptight and airless pop-song structure. Songs often wander into new moods and tempos, shining with a stormy energy that merges perfectly with the band’s musings on depression and friendship and mortality and love. On opening track “No Way Sit Back,” And The Kids bring that dynamic to a sharp-eyed look at the lack of representation of marginalized people in the media. “If you’re not seeing yourself portrayed on TV, whether you’re a person of color or trans or queer, that can be really damaging to your mental health—it can even be fatal,” says Mohan. With its transcendent intensity, “No Way Sit Back” takes one of its key lyrical refrains (“The world was never made for us”) and spins it into something like a glorious mantra. That willful vitality also infuses tracks like “Champagne Ladies,” on which And The Kids match a bouncy melody to their matter-of-fact chorus (“Life is a bastard/Life wants to kill you/Don’t get old”), driving home what Mohan identifies as the main message of the song: “Don’t die before you’re dead.”

The origins of And The Kids trace back to when Mohan and Lasaponaro first met in seventh grade. After playing in a series of bands throughout junior high and high school (sometimes with Averill on bass), the duo crossed paths with Miller in 2012 when the three interned at the Institute for the Musical Arts in the nearby town of Goshen. Once they’d brought Miller into the fold, And The Kids made their debut with 2015’s Turn to Each Other and soon headed out on their first tour. “At one of the shows on that tour, a burlesque act opened for us at a place in Arkansas,” Mohan recalls. “And then another time on tour, we crashed at a friend of a friend’s house, and there was a pot-bellied pig sleeping on the couch. That’s what nice about staying at people’s houses on the road: you never know what you’re gonna see.”

In creating the cover art for When Life Is Over, And The Kids chose to include a picture of their mascot: a black chihuahua named Little Dog, an ideal symbol for the scrappy ingenuity at the heart of the band. “Some of the most memorable moments we’ve been through with the band are like, ‘Hey, remember that tour when Megan had just gotten deported and we didn’t have any money, and we had to drive all these hours to play for like two people?’” says Mohan. “That was a real bonding experience for us. And even when it’s hard, there’s always something good that comes out of it. There’s always a meaning for everything.”
TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE: https://ticketf.ly/2zkmdBx

Monday (4/08)
WAKE w/ Unloved, Kidnapped

Free with RSVP (or $5 at the door)/All Ages/Doors at 7:00PM

Cafe Nine – New Haven

INFO: When it comes to grindcore, few bands these days can top the overwhelming barrage of wrath and aggression unloaded on the listener/spectator by Calgary’s WAKE. In a career spanning a mere seven years, this Canadian unit of aural assassins have brought terror and war to crowds all over the northern hemisphere, destroying venues across Europe and North America on multiple occasions, and establishing themselves as an infamous and unstoppable killing machine when it comes to performing live. In this sense the band’s name seems to perfectly match their nature within the live environment: leave nothing standing – level everything in an endless wake of terror and destruction. But WAKE are far from being only and aural cataclysm restricted to the live environment, quite the opposite, as the band has released a string of albums and splits that speak for themselves, and are just another horrifying statement of the violence and sheer aggression which nests inside the soul of this band.
RSVP HERE: https://ticketf.ly/2GbYVnl

Tuesday (4/09)
Neil Hilborn

$19-$22/All Ages/Doors at 7:00PM

Space Ballroom – Hamden

INFO: Neil Hilborn is a bestselling author and, with over 150 million views to his credit, he is the most-watched poet ever. He has performed in 40 states and 8 countries, and in 2016 alone he traveled more than 100,000 miles to perform poetry. Originally from Houston, Texas, he now lives in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE: https://ticketf.ly/2sJdLIb

 

Wednesday (4/10)
Lady Lamb w/ Renata Zeiguer, Alex Schaaf

$20/All Ages/Doors at 7:00PM

Space Ballroom – Hamden

INFO: To many, Lady Lamb the Beekeeper (aka Aly Spaltro) is an enigma. Her songs are at once intimate and unbridled- both deeply personal and existentially contemplative. Spaltro is a fearless performer who can command a pitch-black stage with nothing more than her voice. Yet, when the band bursts in and the lights come up, what began as a demonstration of restraint shifts seamlessly into an emphatic snarl.

It was in Spaltro’s home state of Maine that she first found her voice among thousands of films in the independent rental store where she worked the closing shift. After hours, Spaltro would create songs completely uninhibited by musical conventions, learning to play and sing as she hit record. A handful of these songs were carefully curated and fully arranged for her debut studio album, Ripely Pine (Ba Da Bing! Records).

On her newest work, After, Spaltro explores dualities further – giving equal attention to both the internal and external, the before and after. Her most palpable fears and memories are on display here, with a familiar vulnerability even more direct than her last effort. These new works – which found Spaltro co-producing with her Ripely Pine partner Nadim Issa – are sonically vibrant, with an assertive use of grit and brightness. Thematically, they provide direct insight into Spaltro’s rumination on mortality, family, friendships, and leaving home. Where Ripely Pine sometimes lacked in personal narrative and directness is where After shines. The last line on After encompasses the self-assurance of the work as a whole, stating “I know where I come from.” This theme is constant throughout the album.
TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE: https://ticketf.ly/2NpjnUC

Thursday (4/11)
Adrian Belew w/ Saul Zonana

$25-$40/All Ages/Doors at 7:00PM

Wall Street Theater – Norwalk

INFO: Adrian Belew is a legendary guitarist well-known for his diverse travels around the musical map. He is a multiinstrumentalist whose solo records are critically acclaimed. His moving singing voice and prolific songwriting has endeared a loyal fan base of music lovers. His music is being discovered everyday by more and more listeners thirsty for great music with a creative standard not often pushed by the commercial music industry.

For more than a decade the Adrian Belew Power Trio stunned audiences around the world.

Now Adrian is ready to re-invent his live show with a new quartet which includes Jordan Perlson on drums, Saul Zonana on keyboards, guitar, and vocals, and bassist extraordinaire Julie Slick.

The tour dates will be in support of Adrian’s newest release “POP-SIDED”, coming March 2019. Don’t miss this opportunity to enjoy master musicians playing great songs and having a ball!

Adrian describes the show as, “a more complete picture of most things I’ve done. More songs, new songs from the award-winning FLUX app, King Crimson material I haven’t played for years, and a dose of classic Power Trio. It’s my intention to make this the best Adrian Belew show ever!”

Adrian first appeared on the guitar-world radar when he toured with Frank Zappa who later said, “Adrian reinvented electric guitar”. Adrian’s signature tones, unique use of effects and whammy bar remains completely different, and his techniques continue to be a huge influence on today’s guitarists. He was guitarist, songwriter and frontman Progressive Rock Powerhouse King Crimson for over 30 years. “Discipline”, Adrian’s first record with King Crimson, is listed among the most important rock records ever made.

Adrian has had a career that commands both awe and respect from fellow musicians and loyal fans, from his first solo record “The Lone Rhino” to the Atlantic Records hit album “Mr. Music Head” or any of his other 20 plus solo records that push sonic boundaries while maintaining artistic integrity. Adrian shreds on guitar but also writes beautiful songs that will make you cry. Yes, Adrian has taken his fans on a wild ride through countless world tours and albums with David Bowie, Talking Heads, Laurie, Anderson, and Paul Simon. He truly is the Twang Bar King!
TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE: http://bit.ly/2DQMOZH

 

Friday (4/12)

©Jay Blakesberg

Twiddle w/ lespecial

$23-$30/All Ages/Doors at 7:00PM

College Street Music Hall – New Haven

INFO: With 12 years of relentless touring behind them, Vermont-based rock band Twiddle has built an impressive resume spanning Red Rocks to Bonnaroo, and multiple sellouts of historic rock venues including Port Chester, NY’s Capitol Theatre, and Washington D.C.’s 9:30 Club. And with the second half of the band’s third studio album, PLUMP, on the horizon, the band’s career continues to catapult forward. Buoyed by the generous support of 359 Kickstarter donors, the 27-song album does more than showcase the group’s beautiful music, but also tells an important story, comprised in PLUMP Chapters 1 & 2.

Recorded during a two-year span with legendary producer Ron St. Germain, PLUMP serves as a reflection of four brothers’ triumphs and struggles, both individual and as a whole. On Chapter 1, songs like “Lost in the Cold” and “Every Soul” detail what it’s like to hit rock bottom and how to rise back up.

“So many fans have shared how these songs carried them through very difficult times, and that alone makes this all worth it,” said Brook Jordan, Twiddle’s percussionist and vocalist. Comparatively, Chapter 2 contains genre-bending instrumentals, as well as mystifying epics like

“Nicodemus Portulay” and “Orlando’s.” More than ten years later, these songs mirror the earliest Twiddle arrangements of 2004-2005 when Mihali Savoulidis and Ryan Dempsey were collaborating in their freshmen dorms at Castleton State College. The completion of PLUMP is timely, coming at a moment when the band’s fervent fan base is at an all-time high and expanding rapidly.

In the live setting, more and more people are invigorated by Twiddle’s community, promoting positivity and the band’s skillful improvisational music. So many like-minded people believe in the greater good, and they find that good in Twiddle.

Twiddle is comprised of Zdenek Gubb on bass and vocals, Ryan Dempsey on keyboards and vocals, Mihali Savoulidis on guitar and lead vocals, and Brook Jordan on percussion and vocals.
TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE:  https://ticketf.ly/2zKp0nx

 

Friday (4/12)
Yeasayer w/ Shana Falana

$20/All Ages/Doors at 7:00PM

Space Ballroom – Hamden

INFO: Amen & Goodbye (out April 1 on Mute) is the follow up to 2012’s Fragrant World. Moving away from a digital-heavy approach, Yeasayer recorded Amen & Goodbye to tape at Outlier Inn Studio in upstate New York, then brought on board Joey Waronker (drummer — Atoms For Peace / Beck) to deconstruct everything to make the final document.Amen & Goodbye features Yeasayer’s trademark sound without sounding like anything the band has done before. They have created a collection of strange fables from the Bible of a universe that does not yet exist.
TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE: https://ticketf.ly/2MyMWja

Saturday (4/13)
The Claypool Lennon Delirium w/ Uni

$30-$35/All Ages/Doors at 8:00PM

College Street Music Hall – New Haven

INFO: Two worlds have collided, and what glorious and odd worlds they are. After a successful summer tour pairing Primus with Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger, Les Claypool and Sean Lennon have decided to combine their abstract talents into a project called The Claypool Lennon Delirium. Their efforts thus far have spawned the upcoming, full-length release called “Monolith of Phobos.”

“Sean is a musical mutant after my own heart,” said Claypool. “He definitely reflects his genetics—not just the sensibilities of his dad but also the abstract perspective and unique approach of his mother. It makes for a glorious freak stew.” After some impromptu, backstage jams and an epic live sit-in on Primus’s psychedelic opus, “Southbound Pachyderm,” Claypool approached Lennon about doing a recording project. “I was trying to wrangle up an Oysterhead reunion since Primus was taking a rest for 2016 but the planets just wouldn’t align for that,” said Claypool. “I don’t like sitting around, so when Sean said he didn’t have plans for this next year, we started kicking around the notion of making an old-school, psychedelic/prog record. Next thing I know, he’s staying in my guesthouse, drinking my vino and banging on my drums.” Lennon responded, “I told Les that I was Neil Diamond’s nephew. I think that is what really sold him on the idea of working with me.”

Over the course of six weeks or so, the two wrote and recorded a total of ten songs with both of them sharing various vocal and instrumental responsibilities, going beyond their core instruments of bass and guitar. Claypool explained, “Usually I play the drums and percussion on my records but Sean has such a different feel than I do, it just made more sense for him to man the kit on most of the tunes on this project. I took the helm at my old vintage API console and let him bang away. He was happy as a piggy rolling in shit every time he grabbed the sticks…his drumming is like a cross between Ringo and Nick Mason. But I think folks will be most surprised by what a monster guitar player he is, especially when you prod him a bit.”

“Monolith of Phobos” is just how the title implies—an old-school approach to a psychedelic space rock record. Lennon added, “It’s been an honor and a challenge playing with someone of Les’ caliber, but luckily the Gods of Pinot Noir shone favorably down and granted us a bundle of devilish tunes about monkeys, outer space and sexual deviancy.”

The Claypool Lennon Delirium “Monolith of Phobos” record is slated for a spring release and the band will be touring through the summer.
TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE:  https://ticketf.ly/2zWkuT5

Saturday (4/13)
Wilde Belle w/ Jeffertitti’s Nile

$16 ($14 adv)/All Ages/Doors at 7:00PM

Space Ballroom – Hamden

INFO: Everybody One of a Kind is the bold new record from Wild Belle. It’s a freaked-out sonic collage of all the things that brought us into their universe: The breezy reggae feelings on Isles, the darker edges of Dreamland, and a vibrant new energy that marries past and future. The album bends genres and busts stylistic boundaries. Dub Reggae, Soul, R&B and Pop are all fair game, as the band lovingly explores this fertile ground. The message that runs through the songs is clear: we’re all “freaks,” we all need love, and we’ve got work to do. As Natalie boldly proclaims in the rallying cry of “We Are The Future,” “This is a revolution.”

An early meeting during the making of the album with producer Max Martin brought some things into focus for the band. He felt that there we three elements that made something a Wild Belle song: Natalie’s voice, Elliot’s baritone saxophone, and a reggae rooted rhythm. He asked them to make a number of songs with only these core elements. With this in mind, the band set out to make the most focused and stripped-down record they’ve produced to date. Natalie’s vocals sit front and center in the eclectic world of Elliot’s production.

Natalie’s songwriting feels liberated. It’s more confident, vulnerable, sexy, funny and pointed. On Tumbleweed, she channels the ghost of an undiscovered Motown star when she sings: “When the sun goes down, that’s when I need you the most. On top of this hill, I see the world but I’m alone.” It’s a perfect marriage of lyric and melody as her voice outlines the chord changes beautifully.

The impact of their new sound is immediate. Album opener “Rocksteady” hits hard. A pulsing Buchla synthesizer, Natalie’s lilting vocal melody and Elliot’s baritone saxophone ripping through the wall of rhythms. Mockingbird is an up-tempo reggae stomper that moves bodies and feet. (check their ecstatic backyard dance party meets old school cop chase video-filmed in the backyard of legendary painter and friend Mark Grotjahn) The song, produced by John Hill started by mining his South American jungle field recordings for bird and animal sounds.

Wild Belle is a band that makes albums. The ten tracks hang together as thick sonic stew. Elliot Bergman’s production draws from his collection of instruments that he has crafted over the past 15 years. Electric kalimbas get looped and fuzzed-out, and his cast Peace Bells (made from melted guns and bullet casings) show up on “Let The Bells Ring.” He recently completed construction on his new Los Angeles studio that houses this world of sounds.

The record is a testament to the many faces of love, even in the course of one relationship. Natalie shifts from being a naughty gal and a nice gal too, to a tumbleweed blowing by, to a transistor radio and alarm clock, all while maintaining her voice as a socially conscious woman calling us to love the poor, support transgender youth, and wave the freak flag.

Since the release of their critically acclaimed debut album, Isles, the band has not stopped. They have toured the world, playing Coachella, Lollapalooza, Corona Capital, and Austin City Limits. They have appeared on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and Conan. They’ve had their music in dozens of television shows and films, and Natalie recently sang the opening theme for the HBO show The Deuce with Elvis Costello. Natalie has exhibited her vibrant collage work in Los Angeles galleries. Elliot has performed with his Peace Bells at the MCA Chicago and the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington D.C. As their individual creative practices grow and develop, the pair have continued to produce their art and music in a very personal and handmade fashion. Everybody One of a Kind welcomes you into a new chapter of Wild Belle’s expanding world.
TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE: https://ticketf.ly/2LZVRd6

Monday (4/15)
Habibi w/ Leggy, Jacques Le Coque

Free with RSVP (or $5 at the door)/All Ages/Doors at 7:00PM

Cafe Nine – New Haven

INFO: In a time fraught with political turbulence and cultural unease, having a voice has never felt so important. For Habibi this comes at a crucial moment. The quintet just released ‘Cardamom Garden’ their first EP in over four years; significantly, the first one with lyrics recorded in Farsi. This new direction has been a long time coming for the band who are acutely aware of music as both a natural part of their heritage and a representation of their own identity: “Middle Eastern culture is very heavily influenced by the arts,” shares Iranian-American lead singer Rahill Jamalifard. The EP combines her culture’s flair with a finely tuned vocabulary of widely appealing tracks structured in a new pop approach: engaging and highly danceable while eschewing typical formulas.

Featuring three original songs, and a Farsi cover of 60s classic “Green Fuz,” ‘Cardamom Garden’ was recorded in Brooklyn and mastered by Heba Kadry (Björk, Slowdive, Future Islands). Bringing their sound even closer to its middle-eastern roots is Tehran-born Yahya Alkhansa, who contributed tonbak percussions.

Both Jamalifard and Habibi guitarist Lenny Lynch originate from Detroit, although neither met until both were living and playing shows in the local Brooklyn scene, where they intuitively fostered a shared connection over their love of Middle Eastern psych music. The two recruited Karen Isabel (drums) and Leah Beth Fishman (bass), fellow musicians who were also friendly through the same DIY music hub, though both also had roots as far away as Puerto Rico before all landing in the common ground of New York City. They were quick to receive critical accolades, with their self-titled 2013 full-length debut heralded by The New Yorker as “stunning.”

“I see you walkin’, walkin’ down Woodward / tryin’ to catch a ride,” Jamalifard sings in live favorite “Detroit Baby,” a reference to an avenue in the Detroit of their youth that could similarly apply to the place in Ridgewood, New York where she currently resides, or any other street in America or across the globe. Habibi have proven to be capable of showcasing authentically crafted music that is both uniquely its own yet able to traverse borders in its overarching appeal. This ethos is clear even in the band’s chosen name: “Habibi” translated to English means “my love”-a universal language that makes them easy to embrace.
RSVP HERE: https://ticketf.ly/2GNnNAh

Tuesday (4/16)
Less Than Jake w/ Mest, Punchline, Kali Masi

$25 ($22.50 adv)/All Ages/Doors at 7:00PM

College Street Music Hall – New Haven

INFO: Who is Less Than Jake?

That’s a legitimate question for someone who has been out of touch with the independent or punk music scene for the last quarter of a century. To some, the name may bring you back to a movie soundtrack or a video game; others are transported to a sweaty day on the Vans Warped Tour. One thing that can not be argued is that if you have experienced Less Than Jake live, it is something that you will never forget.

With ten full length releases, numerous EP’s, 7″ singles and compilations, the band has quietly sold millions of records worldwide, with little support from radio and television outlets. They have been self managed for the last 6 years and have shown no signs of slowing down their break neck touring schedule. To quote an industry insider, “while their contemporaries crowds have diminished, Less Than Jake’s draw has seemingly gotten larger.” If asked how this was accomplished, the band members shrug and respond, “we never stopped touring or trying to be an active band.”

Continuing to play over 150 dates a year while also writing and recording new material has kept the band fresh in a time when “ska” has become something of a four letter word. The list of acts they have supported is staggering (Bon Jovi, Linkin Park, Snoop Dogg) while the list of bands that have supported them makes even the most hardened music industry veteran do a double take (Fall Out Boy, Paramore, Yellowcard). All the while the band has held firm to its punk rock roots and have managed to live through many musical trends simply by just being Less Than Jake.

With well over 300 releases on various labels under their belt, most would think their legacy is already in tact, but the status quo has never interested Less Than Jake. They continue to write and perform new material and have no thoughts of letting up. With the energy and exuberance of a band half its age and the determination of savvy veterans, there is seemingly no end point to this enduring and entertaining band. So who is Less Than Jake? Go see a show and find out.
TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE: https://ticketf.ly/2V7hfAq

SHOW ANNOUNCEMENTS

Sunday, May 24th
Mephiskapheles,Pilfers w/ Stop the Presses

$20 ($15 adv)/All Ages/Doors at 7PM

Space Ballroom – Hamden

INFO:  Mephiskapheles are back in red and black. The band who invented the devilish, whimsical MTV- and radio-friendly genre of Satanic Ska, then defied critics by exploring even greater possibilities for their darkly original ska fusion, have reunited, with a new tour and new album in the works.

Formed in the East Village of New York City in early 1991 by a group of artists, ad-agency employees, and jazz musicians, Mephiskapheles played their first show on Long Island, and from day one began attracting a diverse, dedicated fan base.

Flash-forward to today; and with Satanic Ska being, without a doubt, the genre of music most relevant to our current times. Mephiskapheles are picking up where they left off, with a reissue program with Jump Up Records, a focused performance schedule, and a new Mephiskapheles album in the works.

Pilfers are a legendary band out of New York City that play an infectious, unique sound that blends pop, reggae, hardcore, dub, punk, and ska. Their sound, dubbed “raggacore” features the talents of lead vocalist Coolie Ranx, guitarist/vocalist Nick Bacon, drummer James Blanck, bassist Ben Basile, and trombonist/keyboardist Billy Kottage. Pilfers are well known and loved for their intense live performances that encourage constant crowd participation. Followers of Pilfers have been affectionately named “Pilfers Crew.”

Formed in 1997, Pilfers has toured internationally with the likes of Bad Brains, Zebrahead, Reel Big Fish, the Specials, Madness, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Amazing Royal Crowns, Mustard Plug, and Goldfinger. Pilfers released two albums including a self-titled full-length and Chawalaleng (Mojo Records). In the summer of 2001, the band broke up over various differences. Since 2005, the original line up has come together for several sold out reunion shows along the East Coast for their devoted fans.

In 2013, Pilfers hit the road with Reel Big Fish making new fans across the U.S. and Canada. The strong demand for more from their Pilfers Crew and their love for playing intense live shows has them hitting the road more frequently. Pilfers are currently recording new songs for an upcoming full-length album. Stay tuned for big t’ings to come!
TICKETS AVAILABLE 10AM FRI 4/5: https://ticketf.ly/2Owhq65

Monday, July 1st
Dreadnought

Free with RSVP (or $5 at the door)/All Ages/Doors at 7:00PM

Cafe Nine – New Haven

INFO: Elements of progressive rock, black metal, post rock, doom, and folk band from Denver/Colorado Springs, Colorado

A mythical connection exists between nature and music.

Within vast forests, pagans traditionally participated in midnight drum circles around cackling flames. Led Zeppelin recorded the seminal Led Zeppelin III at the infamous secluded 18th century Bron-Yr-Aur cottage deep in the wilderness. Pink Floyd cut 1987’s A Momentary Lapse of Reason and 1994’s The Division Bell on the Astoria houseboat.

Nestled among the Rocky Mountains, it’s hard to escape the influence of nature in Colorado. Maybe they didn’t record in the woods or on the high seas, but Denver outfit Dreadnought breathes fresh air through extreme music like a torrential force of nature nonetheless. On their third full-length album A Wake In Sacred Waves [Sailor Records], the quartet—Kelly Schilling [guitar, flute, clean & harsh vocals], Jordan Clancy [drums, saxophone], Kevin Handlon [bass, mandolin, lyrics], and Lauren Vieira [keys, clean vocals]—redefine the boundaries of heavy, swinging from gusts of black metal double bass, guttural guitar, and haunting harmonic hymnals to reprieves of fairy tale flute, anesthetic mandolin, and jazz saxophone. (For the uninitiated, think Joni Mitchell guesting with Wolves in the Throne Room).

That singular style quietly turned ears towards the band on their 2013 debut Lifewoven and its critically lauded follow-up Bridging Realms in 2015. The latter earned acclaim from the likes of Terrorizer Magazine, Invisible Oranges, AXS, Metal Sucks, Metal Injection, and more, while the group toured with Wayfarer and Ford Theatre Reunion in addition to sharing the stage with the Devin Townsend Project.

A Wake In Sacred Waves sees their patented sound consciously evolve with sharper claws, but a warmer embrace.

“Each album is loosely based on an element,” explains Kelly. “Lifewoven was earth, Bridging Realms was ether, and this is our water album. You could think of them like Zelda temples. We wanted to make this a little bit darker and heavier because we were going through heavier parts of our lives. This record tells a story about the process of life and death. A sea creature evolves into an apex predator, takes over everything, and then falls from grace. It mirrors humanity’s own existential struggle.”

The journey begins with the 17 minute-plus “Vacant Sea.” Sucked down an aquatic wormhole of claustrophobic distortion, spellbinding melodies, and unpredictable instrumental wizardry, the record immediately extends its tentacles. “Within Chanting Waters” mitigates brutality with bliss as “To Luminous Scale” and “A Drifting Reign” coalesce into a mind-blowing aural climax.

Kevin explains, “In ‘Vacant Sea’, a species gets chased into a giant trench, where it evolves into the alpha in a new ecosystem. ‘Within Changing Waters’ discusses the way life relates to the ocean itself. The water can be interpreted as the nature goddess. The final two songs see the predator come into self-discovery, rise, and then come to ruin as the rest of her species and prey turn against her and take her down.”

Dreadnought represents a new face for extreme music across the board. The presence of flute, mandolin, and saxophone adds subterranean depth to the sonic palette, while dual female melodies make for a majestic and mystical chemistry.

“By virtue of being women, we add a different dynamic, femininity, and perhaps more balance to this genre,” continues Kelly. “Our voices are a color, timbre, and sound that’s unfamiliar and unique. That makes the music extra exciting for us.”

A Wake In Sacred Waves also conjures an undeniable listening experience for anyone who boards Dreadnought’s ship.

“I hope people react in a natural way,” she leaves off. “No matter what it is, I just want them to feel something when they hear us.”
RSVP HERE: https://ticketf.ly/2HLXonW

Sunday, July 7th
The Allman Betts Band

$29.50 – $65.00/All Ages/Doors at 7PM

Wall Street Theater – Norwalk

INFO: After a successful year touring as The Devon Allman Project with special guest Duane Betts – the sons of Gregg Allman and Dickey Betts are joining forces to form The Allman Betts Band.

They will kick off 2019 with a new Allman Betts Band album and a worldwide tour that will feature new music, songs from their solo projects and classic Allman Brothers and Gregg Allman tunes in honor of the 50th Anniversary of The Allman Brothers Band. The new album, which is slated to be released in the Spring of 2019, will be produced by Matt Ross-Spang (Jason Isbell, Margo Price, John Prine and Elvis Presley).

The new ABB will include Devon, Duane, Berry Oakley Jr. (son of original Allman Brothers Band bassist Berry Oakley), slide guitar virtuoso, John Stachela and DAP percussionists R. Scott Bryan (Sheryl Crow) and John Lum.

Peter Levin (Gregg Allman’s Hammond B3 player) and Chuck Leavell will both appear on the record.

The Allman Betts Band will launch a World Tour in March and perform throughout 2019 at festivals, theaters and historic venues.
TICKETS AVAILABLE 10AM FRI 4/05: https://www.ticketfly.com/purchase/event/1844838

Tuesday, July 16th
Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul

$35-$75/All Ages/Doors at 7PM

College Street Music Hall – New Haven

INFO: Steven Van Zandt is a Musician, Performer, Songwriter, Arranger, Music Producer, Music Supervisor, TV Producer, Actor, Director, Broadway Producer, TV and Film Composer, Live Event Producer, International DJ, Activist, Historian, Teacher, member of the New Jersey Hall of Fame, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and is recognized internationally as one of the world’s foremost authorities on both Contemporary and Traditional Rock and Roll.

After helping create the “Jersey Shore” sound with the Asbury Jukes he became a founding member of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, and went on to become a successful solo artist in his own right recording and performing solo with his band Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul. In 2017 he released his first new album in over 15 years returning to his Rhythm and Blues roots entitled “Soulfire” which Rolling Stone named one of its “Best Albums of 2017.” He has recently released “Soulfire LIVE!” a 3 disc CD box set with a 7 Vinyl box set and 2 disc Blu-Ray to be released this February, recorded live during the “Soulfire Tour,” his first solo tour in over 20 years.

His songs have been performed by artists such as Jackson Browne, Pearl Jam, Jimmy Cliff, Damian Marley, Margo Price, Gary U.S. Bonds, Darlene Love, Nancy Sinatra, Brian Setzer, Black Uhuru, and more.

Steven Co-Produced the seminal Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band albums “The River”, and “Born in the U.S.A.” He has also produced albums for Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, Gary U.S. Bonds, Ronnie Spector, Demolition 23, Majek Fashek, and more. He Arranged and Produced “Introducing Darlene Love”, the critically acclaimed album for the legendary Darlene Love, star of the Oscar winning documentary “Twenty Feet From Stardom”.

In 1985, Van Zandt formed Artists United Against Apartheid and wrote “Sun City,” a song featuring over 50 major recording artists protesting the Apartheid system and considered by many political experts to be one of the fatal blows to Apartheid, leading to Nelson Mandela being freed only a few years later. He has twice been honored by the United Nations for his political activism, including the “Sun City” project and film, and his involvement in “International Peace Day” along with Peter Gabriel. He also established the Solidarity Foundation to promote the sovereignty of indigenous peoples and to foster economic development in harmony with the earth.

Steven Co-Starred in all seven seasons of the Sopranos, playing principle character “Silvio Dante,” a character that he created. He Starred in, Co-Wrote, Executive Produced, provided the music supervision and scoring, and Directed (the final episode) for the award winning series “Lilyhammer”, which was the FIRST original programming for Netflix.

In 2001 he launched “Little Steven’s Underground Garage”, his internationally syndicated radio show and the most successful syndicated Rock music radio show in the past 40 years. Steven also created and produces the first two channels of original content on SiriusXM Satellite Radio, the Underground Garage (Channel 21) and Outlaw Country (Channel 60). In 2006 he launched his record label, Wicked Cool Records, to further support new Rock and Roll.

In 2018 Little Steven and the Disciples of Tour went back on the road with their “Soulfire Teacher Solidarity Tour.” The landmark live tour benefited The Rock and Roll Forever Foundation’s TeachRock program and reached the incredible goal of registering over 18,000 teachers (and counting) to use the TeachRock Music History Curriculum.

Established by Dr. Van Zandt (he gave the commencement speech to the Class of 2017 and received an honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from Rutgers University), the Foundation creates education materials that use the history of popular music to create engaging, multicultural lesson plans for history, social studies, language arts, music, and science classrooms, all of which are available to educators at NO COST.

It marked the first-ever Rock tour specifically geared towards addressing this crucial societal need. At each stop of the tour, The Rock and Roll Forever Foundation is hosting FREE TeachRock Professional Development Workshops, with educators and a guest who attend also receiving a complimentary ticket to that evening’s concert.

“Music will forever be humanity’s most effective and consistent source of inspiration and motivation, and, we have learned, music turns out to be our most solid common ground for establishing communication between teachers and students which is where education begins.” – Stevie Van Zandt
TICKETS AVAILABLE WEDNESDAY 4/03 HERE: https://ticketf.ly/2OpomCd

Tuesday, August 20th
Ex Hex

$18 ($16 adv)/All Ages/Doors at 7PM

Space Ballroom – Hamden

INFO: When Ex Hex exploded onto the scene with their unfettered brand of rock and riffage, the power trio for our generation had finally arrived. Made up of Mary Timony (guitar, vocals), Betsy Wright (bass, vocals), and Laura Harris (drums), the group’s 2014 debut Rips was a gleaming collection of tightly wound gems that scored Best New Music honors from Pitchfork, the top spot on Magnet Magazine’s Best of 2014 list, and No. 11 in that year’s Pazz & Jop critics poll. Near-constant touring throughout 2015 and 2016 established the band as a force to be reckoned with: an audacious three-piece distilling rock music to its essence with formidable skills and a reputation for frenzied and unabashedly fun live shows.

On It’s Real, the group’s forthcoming second album, Ex Hex’s commitment to larger-than-life riffs and unforgettable hooks remains intact, but the garage-y, post-punk approach that defined Rips has grown in scale and ambition. What started as a reaction to the blown-out aesthetic of Rips would test the sonic limits of the power trio and lead the band on a quest for a more immersive and three-dimensional sound. Vocal harmonies are layered ten tracks deep, solos shimmer and modulate atop heaving power chords, and the codas linger and stretch toward new frontiers of sound. On first listen, you might think you’ve unearthed a long-lost LP carved from the space where crunch-minded art rock and glitter-covered hard rock converge, an event horizon at the intersection of towering choruses and swaggering guitars.

Produced by Jonah Takagi (who also produced Rips), It’s Real was a more collaborative effort than its predecessor. Mary and Betsy could be found writing late into the night, leaning on Takagi to tighten up arrangements. Egos were surrendered in service to the music: Nothing was sacred or precious, and there was a relentless devotion to both songcraft and exploration. Dozens of guitar amps sat mic-ed in the next room, and the group experimented at a frenzied pace parsing countless combinations of instruments, pedals, and amps. They even dusted off Mary’s old Rockman, a small headphone amp designed by Boston guitarist Tom Scholz in 1982. Mary recounts, “It’s only about the size of a Walkman and takes eight AA batteries, but it sounds massive. We read that parts of [Def Leppard’s] Hysteria were tracked through it, and when we finally plugged it in, it blew our minds!”

The opening track “Tough Enough” is punky and defiant, with stacked backing vocals posing the question “Are you tough enough (to let it go)?” that’s resoundingly answered in the affirmative by a searing, triumphant guitar solo. “Cosmic Cave” is a bittersweet rave-up with shimmering phased guitars, a gooey-candied chorus, and beamed-in “whoa-oh-ohs” that add a touch of melancholia to the frenzied speed-of-sound pace. The ferocious and anthemic “Rainbow Shiner” is what Wright describes as “a victory song.” Her mordacious central riff is coupled with dueling guitar-god solos that explode from the stereo spectrum. The starlit “Another Dimension” has it all: pounding drums, palm-muted humbucking chugs, soaring harmonized vocals, and a stark, ethereal bridge that sends listeners deep into the lush sonic landscape that the band set out to create.

Ex Hex were already one of America’s best guitar bands—but on It’s Real, their musical savvy has thrillingly combined with anything-goes curiosity, studio experimentation, and a dedication to refinement, resulting in an album that’s ready to be played at maximum volume.
TICKETS AVAILABLE 10AM FRIDAY 4/05 HERE: https://ticketf.ly/2OESOs4

**Tickets are available for all these shows in the shop (cash only for ticket sales) without the online fees. **