Lo-Fi Cherokee: Demonlover play “Tequila Rockingbird” in El Torito

Today, Bill Streeter and Tower Groove Records premiere a Lo-Fi Cherokee video from Cherokee’s biggest latino market and longstanding home of the Cherokee Station Business Association‘s monthly meeting, El Torito. The quirky song “Tequila Rockingbird” comes from Demonlover, the Phoenix that rose out of the ashes of St. Louis’ late Theodore.
It’s hard to count how many instruments are represented here (well, there’s six, not counting extra gizmos, power tools, vox, or clapping hands); between humming saw and muffled trombone, Demonlover achieves a sonic spectrum spanning weird Gordon Gano-esque vibrato and bluesy guitar melodies and ’80s pop-rock ballads. It’s all next the aisle of beans:

This entry was written by Tara, posted on May 8, 2012 at 9:00 am, filed under News, Video and tagged , , , , . Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

Lo-Fi Cherokee: Warm Jets USA play “Anesthesia” in Apop Records

Today, Eleven premieres the Lo-Fi Cherokee video of Warm Jets USA in Cherokee’s favorite record store, Apop Records. The Lo-Fi cameras pan vertically to capture the band amid the diverse stacks of Apop, including their drummer clad in a white tiger suit. “Anesthesia” is undeniably catchy, with a healthy serving of reverb and fuzz to satiate your rock cravings. Warm Jets USA lead vocalist Jason Hutto is one of Tower Groove Records’ main organizers and spokespeople — a role fitting for the charisma he shows here:

This entry was written by Tara, posted on May 3, 2012 at 9:30 am, filed under News, Video and tagged , , , , , . Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

Lo-Fi Cherokee: Catholic Guilt plays “Ol’ Man Gold” in Firecracker Press

In the fourth Bill Streeter-Tower Groove Records Lo-Fi Cherokee video, the gents of Catholic Guilt don masks and grass as they perform “Ol’ Man Gold” with the backdrop of letterpress print shop Firecracker Press. Catholic Guilt delivers a catchy jaunt of syncopated, layered melodies from xylophone, toy piano (ironically named the “Piano-saurus”), accordion, recorder, ghoul-y vocals, and cassette backing.

Enjoy the tunes, prints, and letterpresses:

This entry was written by Tara, posted on April 26, 2012 at 9:00 am, filed under News, Video and tagged , , . Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

Lo-Fi Cherokee: Black James plays “Black Muddy Murder”

In the next installment of the Bill Streeter-Tower Groove Records Lo-Fi Cherokee series, Black James plays an eerie “Black Muddy Murder” at the fittingly weird EL Leñador. Dark, shaky, and featuring an ensemble of characters (a thereminist that harkens Nosferatu and a masked pig on keys holding a baby) — this video captures all the ironic elements to make for the creepiest of horror flicks, while capturing Black James’ usual innovative re-imagining of American folk.

This entry was written by Tara, posted on April 24, 2012 at 10:01 am, filed under News, Video and tagged , , , , , . Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

Lo-Fi Cherokee: Pretty Little Empire plays “The Way You Say It”

Today, we release the second video from the Bill Streeter and Tower Groove Records collaborative video series Lo-Fi Cherokee. Today’s video features Pretty Little Empire playing “The Way You Say It” at Fort Gondo Compound for the Arts. Enjoy!

This entry was written by Tara, posted on April 19, 2012 at 1:35 pm, filed under Live, News, Video and tagged , , , . Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

Lo-Fi Cherokee Premiere: HUMDRUM plays “I’ll Find You”

Today, Bill Streeter unveils the first of fourteen videos shot on Cherokee Street on April 7th, featuring local bands, many from Tower Groove Records. Look out for a new Lo-Fi Cherokee video every Tuesday and Thursday.

STL STyLehouse hosts the first video — with HUMDRUM (not a Tower Groove band), playing the song “I’ll Find You.” It’s a fitting setting, as STL Stylehouse produces St. Louis-themed screen-printed merchandise and other locally-themed and -produced goods.

Read below for an interview with HUMDRUM’s Mic Boshans for more on the band’s most recent album recording with Steve Albini. Here’s their Lo-Fi Cherokee video:

 

Read an interview in February between Eleven‘s Matthew Ström and HUMDRUM’s Mic Boshans HERE.

Read Eleven‘s interview with filmmaker Bill Streeter here:

Open publication – Free publishing – More archway sound

This entry was written by Tara, posted on April 17, 2012 at 10:00 am, filed under News, Video and tagged , , , . Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

Review: Water Liars ‘Phantom Limb’ Release at Off Broadway 02/24/12

Review and photos by Tara Pham
(click to enlarge photos)

 

Friday night saw the release of Water Liars’ much anticipated Phantom Limb at Off Broadway. Opening for the slow alt-country duo were Fred Friction and Bob Reuter’s Alley Ghost.

At roughly 9:15 with a mostly empty venue, Fred Friction took the stage. Clad in a white-on-white tie and shirt tucked into jeans on a skinny frame, Fred Friction seemed fittingly drunk to deliver his sad Western ballads, mostly about – you guessed it – scorned love and cheap sex. A few Stag bottles, lyrics forgotten, and song mistarts later, Fred Friction had established an audience split equally between charmed and bored. Fred Friction’s classic country songwriting became overshadowed by a likeness to the drunken depression of a truck stop open mic, seeming at once laughably entertaining and uncomfortably authentic.

 



By the time that Bob Reuter’s Alley Ghost was setting up, the Off Broadway crowd had filled out a bit more. A five-piece, including (of course) St. Louisan-to-the-bone and Bob’s Scratchy Records KDHX DJ Bob Reuter and Rum Drum Ramblers’ Mat Wilson, BRAG (fitting acronym?) exudes cool. The guys pull off sunglasses, cuffed jeans, dreadlocks, and old school hats – that is, paperboy hats and fedoras. BRAG achieves that brand of rock ‘n’ roll that you and your parents want to dance to; so, it didn’t take long for swing dancers to hit the dance floor. While Reuter belts a clear, melodic vox with rough edges in all the right places, his bandmates provide those choral echoes and spectacular instrumental solos that remind you what makes rock ‘n’ roll rock. Their set finished with a roar of cheers and whoops from a plenty lubricated audience.

 

After a teasing soundcheck from members Justin Kinkel-Schuster and Andrew Bryant, Water Liars began on the same feedback-laced, almost guttural guitar and drum blasts that kick off album Phantom Limb, on track “$100.” From that point on, the show was pure, creating that sense of connectedness between people that make these alt-country ballads so resonant. Much like he did in Theodore, Kinkel-Schuster performed a gut-wrenching, raw set that recordings can hint at but rarely capture.

 


Water Liars performed “Dog Eaten” and “Low & Long” to a dead silent, totally captivated audience. Through some of the harder, faster tracks like “Short Hair” and a cover of Hasil Adkins’ “Moon Over Madison,” the band hit every note and earned new fan after new fan.

 

The partnership between Kinkel-Schuster and Bryant is palpable. K-S has clearly found a platform that showcases his superb songwriting and haunting vocals. Quite frankly, he is demonstrating a skill that was always apparent with Theodore – but with Water Liars, it is not diluted by other members (who were powerful in their own right). K-S doesn’t need to share the stage with additional guitarists, bassists, horns, what have you. That said, there is a perfect balance with Bryant. Even at the back of the stage soaked in an anonymizing red light, Bryant commands a presence by way of his total passion for the songs. His committed snare and tom bangs punctuated graceful backing vocals and recurring grimaces wrought with the truth embedded in these songs. As they embark on a midwestern/southern tour, it’s safe to say that Water Liars will propel the national reputation of St. Louis music forward.

 

See it for yourself, when Water Liars plays an in-store at Vintage Vinyl on February 28th, at 6pm. The band will also be recording a Daytrotter Session on March 2nd, with a publication date TBA.

 

This entry was written by Tara, posted on February 26, 2012 at 8:30 pm, filed under Live, New Music, Photo Gallery, Review and tagged , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

HUMDRUM To Record with Steve Albini

by Matthew Ström

It may come as no surprise to you that being successful in music takes hard work. What might surprise you, however, is just how many of your favorite local bands are putting in that hard work and just how successful they are poised to be. One such band is Humdrum, the weird-pop quintet with two records under their belt and much more to come. When I ran into Humdrum percussionist Mic Boshans — who also percusses for dance-fevered electro warriors Neé — behind the bar at his day job, he casually mentioned that his band was slated to spend a few days in the studio with none other than the ever-prolific Steve Albini. If the name doesn’t ring a bell, his rap sheet will: He was the engineer behind The Pixies’ Surfer Rosa, Nirvana’s In Utero, the entire discography of Big Black — a band he founded and fronted — and roughly 2,000 other records in the past 30 years. I was floored by Boshans’ modesty. While Albini is regarded highly for his willingness to work with any band that he deems “got the rock,” regardless of size, label, or monetary resources, spending time and money with the legendary engineer demonstrates a remarkable level of dedication. When I asked Boshans about Humdrum’s decision to seek Albini’s help, he explained:

Steve Albini is a big name for a reason: he’ll give us a really amazing-sounding recording that we can really do things with. It’ll make more people interested in seeing what we’re doing, because we’re taking our music seriously enough to take that step and record with Steve.

It is apparent in talking to Boshans that Humdrum’s goals are both ambitious and well-considered. Despite the limitations of operating independently from a label’s support (the drummer expressed his frustration at the band’s inability to “really do … justice [to] recordings because of time or money constraints”), Humdrum has successfully released two full-lengths flush with beautiful sounds, catchy hooks, and unpredictable twists. With their forthcoming release, though, the band aspires to push beyond their previous efforts with “a high-fidelity recording that’s hard-hitting, and an accurate representation of what we do live.” With Albini’s predilection for a no-frills, balls-out sound, Humdrum’s mission shouldn’t be hard to accomplish; how the band’s dense, experimentally-founded arrangements will match up with the producer’s straightforward and spare techniques, however, is considerably more uncertain.

This entry was written by Tara, posted on February 7, 2012 at 1:00 pm, filed under Interview, News and tagged , , . Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

Q+A: Cartwheel

Cartwheel rolls like a group of recently grown up kids on a fresh summer day. It’s not that their sound is anything else less than mature – Cartwheel just has that exuberant pop rock vibe to which it’s hard not to reminiscence. Eleven writer Matt Stuttler caught up with Cartwheel’s Rachel Bowdon (RB, vocals/Wurlitzer), Jason Kozemczak (JK, guitar/vocals), John Hill (JH, bass), and Kyle Collman (KC, drums). Read the interview below!

Catch them on Saturday, with Adult Fur and Michael Franco at Off Broadway.

(more…)

This entry was written by Tara, posted on January 23, 2012 at 1:51 pm, filed under Interview, Local Profile, Q+A and tagged , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

New Release: “Pretty Girls” by Née

Kristin Dennis of Née, performing at the Bomb Door in September 2011. Photo by Tara Pham.

 

Today, local electronic pop favorite Née releases new single “Pretty Girls.” How fitting (see frontwoman Kristin Dennis, above).

“Pretty Girls” is the single from Née’s forthcoming EP – and a new direction from Dennis’ last EP, The Hands of Thieves. Perhaps it’s the Robyn influence. Perhaps its the involvement of Dennis’ band, which includes drummer Mic Boshans, multi-instrumentalist David Beeman, and synther Lex Herbert. Whereas Hands was dominated by Dennis’ higher vocal register and straightforward organ/synth riffs punctuated by electronic drum pad kicks, “Pretty Girls” is a faster, more bass-driven, multi-layered track. You’ve still got Née’s signature vox – a rare gem nuanced by both a haunting melancholy and an undeniable stimulus to your dance reflexes.

“Unlike the last EP, we’re doing everything on analogue, vintage gear,” says Dennis in a note to Eleven. “Although by definition synthesizers are inorganic, the way the sounds are coming through into the new songs feels much warmer and, well, organic than the last EP. There’s that ever-present hint of white noise, electricity, and the accumulated particulates of age that provide a backdrop for the melodies.”

We at Eleven are feeling the electricity. You can, too, here:

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Track: “Pretty Girls,” by Née
Recorded: at Native Sound by David Beeman and Kristin Dennis
Mixed: at Native Sound by David Beeman and Kit Hamon
Available: In CD form with screen printed artwork (Dennis at Native Prints) and a BONUS remix by Adult Fur ($2) will at the Mud House, Apop, Foam, and The Royale, among other local spots. Streaming and downloadable ($1) from neemusic.bandcamp.com.
Favorite line: “The heat of blood created chemistries to bond the two of us.” Yum. Science. Made sexy. OR: “You know I probably broke a hundred hearts by now.” True words.

This entry was written by Tara, posted on January 19, 2012 at 2:29 pm, filed under New Music and tagged , , , , , , . Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

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