8/18: Mutts (Chicago) & Satellite Twin at Kaiju

Chicago's resident growling junkyard dog band Mutts and Louisville's dirty satin sheets of a man band Satellite Twin have teamed up for a truly top-shelf smokey motel room soundtrack in the form of a split 7" released this Saturday on Gubbey Records, and a release show at Kaiju with Sheri Streeter.

MUTTS

Event info here.

8/26: Cut Family Foundation CD release show at Outerspace

The Cut Family Foundation is releasing a new full-length CD, Funky Public, on Gubbey Records. The release show is on August 26th, 8 pm, at Galaxie/Outerspace. It's only $8 and includes a free copy of Funky Public.

4/11 Blind Tigers cassette release show @ Modern Cult

Louisville band Blind Tigers are releasing a 6 song cassette EP, Mosquito, on April 11th  on the Gubbey Records label.



A release show will be at Modern Cult Records on April 11th at 8pm, also performing will be Opposable Thumbs and Satellite Twin.

Review: Monday and Friday at Zanzabar

Last Monday, Blackbirds of Paradise played at Zanzabar with Gringo Star. Being that it was a seven dollar cover charge, not too many people were in attendance. Lesser bands would've been inhibited by an audience under 20 people, but both acts delivered an unrelenting and energetic performance.

When I arrived at the venue, Black Birds were already a couple songs into their set playing Future Man. What I didn't expect from this band was a live sound as big as their self-titled record that I'd reviewed earlier this year, but I was wrong. Just like the studio, when Black Birds of Paradise take the stage they curate a sonic space that is as wide as it is deep. I'd commented earlier about the tension between the synth and vibraphone parts on their instrumental track "Exotica," but what's more prominent in their performance is the dichotomy between the bass riffs and contrasting vibraphone melodies. All of this became more apparent when compared to their second performance on Friday night, which reprised their new song "Beyond the Closet Door," a droning stumble through a lover's bedroom to meet an ill fated substitution.

Gringo Star took the stage after Black Birds ended. The Atlanta group has received acclaim for every album they've released consecutively. To kick off their tour with a new bassist, the group chose Louisville as their first stop. The band bounced forth from garage rock guitar riffs to baseball-park organ melodies. Though they were at times playing to an audience of only four, Gringo Star held no punches and gave their all to an hour long set. Check out their song "The Start," and join us in wishing them luck for the remainder of their tour.

Lastly, New Brovado closed the Friday night show. I was already familiar with their music from the Sol Similar single they released with Gubbey on Record Store Day, but I've never known quite how to categorize their sound. At times, they played like a power pop band with harmonized vocals and snapping drums. At other times their sludgy power chords were more reminiscent of The Sword or Black Sabbath. Finally, Black Birds drummer Nick Layman said it best after the show when he asked "it sounds like a Tame Impala and Queens of the Stone Age drunkfuck, doesn't it?"

Gringo Star's remaining tour dates are posted below

Thu Jun 12 - Northside Fest @ Shea Stadium - Brooklyn, NY 

Fri Jun 13 - Charlie Os - Montpelier, VT 

Sat Jun 14 - Mercury Lounge - New York, NY 

Wed Jun 18 - Black Cat - Washington , DC 

Thu Jun 19 - Southland Ballroom - Raleigh, NC 

Fri Jun 20 - The Garage - Winston Salem, NC 

Sat Jun 21 - Grey Eagle - Asheville, NC 

Call for Artists: Head Cleaner 2014

Gubbey Records is now accepting submissions for it's second annual Louisville music compilation  "Head Cleaner." Last year's comp had an astounding 46 bands on 2 cassettes of over 2 hours of music (read our review and hear selections from it here) and even landed on Logan's Best of 2013 List (here). Deadline is August 15th. Details at Gubbeyrecords.net

Out This Week: Andy Matter and IamIs

This week Andy Matter (of Opposable Thumbs, Furlong, and Mimi Von Schnitzl) released his debut solo album Pacific Midwest with Gubbey Records. These ten songs, recorded over the past three years, achieve a sound described as "power(ful) pop" reminiscent of Bob Mould and are available at Modern Cult Records.
 The Department of Homeland Recording also released IamIs' new digital single Lead Hands on Tuesday to promote their forthcoming album Go Supernovae! Accompanying the digital release is their first music video, a cult-like homage to the crooners of old. Lead hands can be purchased here, and be sure to keep an ear to the ground for their upcoming full-length release.

Editorial: Record Store Day 2014

Last year, Record Store Day officially claimed Jack White as their ambassador to the masses. Now this makes sense due to the man’s accomplishments with the vinyl medium (pioneering the triple decker record, the liquid record, and the 3rpm record), but it seems to me like all he did was walk around URP and touch stuff. This year, the ambassador is Chuck D, who challenges independent record stores to start their own pirate radio stations.

It’s noble enough of a proposal, and while RSD boasts impressive releases every year and continues to enrich the record store community throughout the country, the list on their website is the standard that people follow when drafting their picks for the holiday. This year had plenty of great releases on the list including pieces from LCD Soundsystem, Pharaoh Monch, Built to Spill, Christian Death, Sam Cooke, The Yardbirds, Devo, and everything inbetween; the only problem is that the list is incomplete year after year, excluding most of the country’s independent label releases (don’t worry though, there’s a link to Warner’s online store on every page of their website). In order to consider this flaw effectively, one has to acknowledge the duality of RSD’s existence: there is Record Store Day the organization, and Record Store Day the third Saturday of April.

The organization was founded in 2007 when a coalition of record stores met to discuss an event similar to Free Comic Book Day, the following year spawned the first RSD celebration at Rasputin Records in San Francisco. Since then it’s been an annual event, expanding to most of the independently owned record stores in the country.

I started observing Record Store Day in 2010 when the Flaming Lips released their version of Dark Side of the Moon with Henry Rollins, Peaches, and Stardeath and White Dwarfs. Since then it’s been a ritual; I think I’ve only missed it once but I could be wrong. Every year it’s the same people at the same record store, Toxic Beauty in Yellow Springs, Ohio. The event’s created quite a loyal community, none of us even live in Ohio anymore but for some reason we all make the trip up and camp out in front of the store the night before. Likewise, when the sun rises there is a line down the block and store owner Josh Castleberry sprints with a smile to open up for his best business day of the year.

The campers.

The line.

I never can buy much but it’s always fun and I’ve been able to add a little flare to the collection. This year my little brother Hayden camped out with us and we were the first two in line. He was the only one who's ever thought to bring a deck of cards. I just picked up the Ramones’ MELTDOWN 10” and Nirvana’s Pennyroyal Tea 7” at the store and saved the rest of my money for Culture Cringe’s Megajoos/Roman Polanski’s Baby split 7”.

Just trying to kill those last couple hours.

As the event continues to strengthen, the presence of the independent record store in the US and abroad, one must ask “what are they doing for the independent record label?” With hundreds of releases each year and thousands of participating locations, why is it that the majority of the pieces on the official website are put out by major labels? In an interview with NME, Chuck D said “The record stores are sonic libraries that can offer the curation that the record companies cannot and will not do.” Though the ambassador’s speech is on point in exposing the major labels’ exclusive pursuit of profit, the organization still caters to them.

Music retail has been on the decline in the past decade and the independent record label is gaining an audience through online and small-run releases; the money in the music industry is shifting toward live performance and merchandise sales. So with such a powerful presence in the record community and such goodwill for the future of music, why is it that releases like Gubbey’s New Brovado single isn’t an “official” RSD release, and bands like The Pass and Megajoos are having their singles postponed by pressing plants to make way for said “official” RSD releases? Would it be so hard to draft a regional, submission-based list and send out stickers to the small labels who self-distribute? I still love record store day and will continue to attend as often as possible, but the true spirit of the event remains lost in its organization. 

New Brovado's RSD single "Sol Similar" may still be available at better record stores near you.

Review: Black Birds of Paradise

          Ever since I first heard Black Birds of Paradise cover Washington Phillips’ song “I Had a Good Father and Mother” on There is No One I wished they had more of a catalogue. Tonight marks the release of their first full length release, a DIY self-titled LP pressed by the drummer himself.

            Since their only other track before now was the upbeat summer-y song “I Love You (But I Don’t Know Why)” on Gubbey’s Head Cleaner compilation, I was pleasantly surprised with the needle-drop opener “Future Man,” which is reminiscent of a Sergio Leone score with Scott Carney on Theremin. The heavy bass and steady ride imply a sinister, mischievous presence.

One of the things that sets Black Birds of Paradise aside from other young rock bands right off the bat is Regan Layman, who plays vibraphone, percussion, and sings backup. Throughout the whole album, her textures and frequencies add a depth to the sound that plays a large part in shaping the tune around them. “Exotica” is an instrumental track torn between Regan’s vibraphone solos and Nick Layman’s synth styles. Despite the song’s major key and more positive demeanor, there’s a tension between the two that is really special.

Right in the middle of the record, the entire band backs out for a quieter, more somber acoustic song titled “The Way, The Truth, The Light.” This only accentuates the band’s diversity by providing contrast to the following louder more aggressive “Pour a Drink.”

With their first release, Black Birds of Paradise have proved that they are capable of effortlessly playing a wide range of musical styles without compromising or betraying their vision. Let’s hope their second album has the same charm. Come out to the New Vintage tonight for the release party with Lady Pyramid and Murals.

Logan's Best of: 2013

We’ve been in the new year for a little while now and I may be a little late on this, but 2013 was a huge year for music and there’s so much amazing material to sift through. So here’s a short comprehensive list of the best music the year had to offer.

• Chance the Rapper: Acid Rap-

         This is the most original rap album I’ve heard in years. Imagine Andre Benjamin but as a 20 year old Chicago kid instead of a southern gentleman. He's had two mixtapes so far and both are available for free on his website. Acid Rap is both a tribute to Chicago's history and a leap into its future. 

• Eminem: The Marshall Mathers 2 LP-

            Don’t call it a comeback... because it's almost certainly his last album. It's definitely his best album since his real comeback in 2009. Unlike his more uplifting albums Relapse and Recovery, what makes the MM LP 2 stand out is that he's gone back to doing what he does best- being angry.

• Sunn 0))): Black One-

            Technically it was just an unofficial RSD re-issue, but this was one of my favorite records I picked up all year. Really good album to listen to if you don't want to go outside or if you don't believe in electric lights.

• Gubbey Records: Head Cleaner-

            This compilation is over two hours long and features fourty six Louisville acts. Read our Full review here.

• Vampire Weekend: Modern Vampires of the City-

            After a three year break, Vampire Weekend went back into the studio with producer Ariel Rechtshaid (known earlier in the year for Snoop Lion's album, Reincarnated). This was the first time they've ever brought in an outside producer since keyboardist Rostam Batmanglij usually produces their albums. It seems like a weird combination, but they're exploring a lot of new territory with this record.

• Portugal. The Man: Evil Friends-

            I was really excited to hear that Danger Mouse was in studio with Portugal. the man. Immediately I thought they'd go back to the synth-heavy styles of Censored Colors and Church Mouth, but this listens more like one of those collaboration albums Danger Mouse is known for. 

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds: Push the Sky Away-

            This has been a constant listen since its release in February. Push the Sky Away is mainly built on a set of loops Warren Ellis made that the Bad Seeds played over to bring structure and depth to the sound. Lyrically, it's some of Cave's most ominous work.

• Megajoos: Mega Deuce:

            Megajoos (pronounced: mega-juice) is an experimental drum and bass outfit from Nashville. Some guy flagged me down in a Post Office parking lot and gave me their CD, and judging by the cover I didn't know what to expect, but these guys bring the fuzz. They kind of remind me of the Pixies' good stuff.

• Zorch: ZZOORRCCHH-

            I'm not sure how they got the name Zorch, I'm sure there's some sort of agreement with the older band by the same name. As I said in an earlier review, Zorch has everything it takes to be America's next big two piece, but their psychedelic electronic prog style might be too much for the masses to handle.

The Flaming Lips: The Terror-

            The Lips turned a new leaf with their 2013 release. Since keyboardist Steve Drozd is 100% sober now, it seems that Coyne gave him the wheel and let him steer the ship. The happy go lucky "it's great to be alive" band that you've grown to love is still in there somewhere, but now they're saying something more like "it's terrifying that I'm alive." 

That's all folks. Enjoy the tunes and good luck out there in 2014.

Happy Record Store Day!

It's the second 'Record Store Day' of the year, and despite it feeling a little pimped out at this point, audiophiles like us aren't complaining too much. there is an avalanche of record store day releases this time around, most of which are reissues and box sets, with some honest to goodness must haves thrown in..
of the box sets the Cheap Trick & Harry Nilsson  collections look good, of the reissues finally the Steve Albini mix of Nirvana's In Utero  will be available, and there are some reissue 7"s out there too (Sly & The Family Stone  and The Standells stand out). For my money, the Scott H. Biram gospel 7" seems like a sure bet, read our review here, and for local releases you should be able to grab the THERE IS NO ONE: Louisville Is For Lovers Tribute to Palace Brothers on vinyl and cassette and the Gubbey Records 46 track compilation Head Cleaner on double cassette.

THERE IS NO ONE vinyl explosion

Tomorrow night at New Vintage The Bottom Sop is playing at the Gubbey Records release show, I know nothing about them, but I cannot stop listening to their track from Head Cleaner. can't wait to hear more from this band.. I'll see you out there!

This Weekend: Gubbey Records- Head Cleaner Vol. 1&2

         This Friday (Nov. 29) Gubbey Records is releasing what they call a love letter from the Louisville music scene, a compilation called Head Cleaner Vol. 1&2. Due, I'm sure, to the album's length it is only available in cassette format which comes with a digital download. Though you'd be hard pressed to find a functioning cassette player outside of an Oldsmobile these days, this release stands alone as Louisville's longest analog-format compilation, documenting forty six Louisville acts.
         We at 37flood have been anxiously awaiting this release for quite some time now (the promo poster's been hanging up at HQ for the past couple months). Boasting genres from bluegrass, power pop, avant garde, noise, experimental hip-hop, and punk, Gubbey lives up to their reputation of promoting obscure, isolated, and eclectic Louisville music made in Louisville, by Louisville, and for Louisville.
         Here's our top 20 (ordered as they appear on the album):

• Rude Weirdo- Rodney the King
• The Cut Family Foundation- Wrecked
• Asm A Tik- Temporalis
• Furlong- Hoarder Fire
• Humongous- Russian Space Things 
• Adventure- Pollen in my Beard
• The Decline Effect- Serpent to Slay
• D'arkestra- Tonight
• Bush League- Doublethink
• Bus Hus- The Freedom you Were, The Fascist you Are
• Sick City Four- Kamui Song
• Whistlin' Rufus- The Kentucky One-step
• The Sandpaper Dolls- Across the wire
• Mr. Samples- Stimulate This
• Empira Vultura- Grace
• Hitchhike- June Bug
• Blackbirds of Paradise- I Love You (But I don't know why)
• Plastic Bubble- Respectable Establishment
• Vice Tricks- Holiday
• The Mack- New Way to Begin

        For ten dollars, this tape is a steal. You couldn't even get this much music on itunes for less than fifty bucks, so why not hop in the Oldsmobile and cruise for a couple hours, match the sights of the city to the sounds?

         To go with Head Cleaner Vol. 1&2, Gubbey Records is having an equally massive release show this weekend with three separate events at Modern Cult and The New Vintage.

Review: IamIs & Tamara Dearing Split 7"

Gubbey Records released Vol. 3 of its Split Series on Saturday. The single features IamIs' song "Paperface" and Tamara Dearing's "Break Your Heart" on a vinyl only release with a download card including five bonus tracks. Not to mention the fact that it's on bubblegum pink vinyl as a tribute to the single's "sugary sweet sound."

The first track of this release that Gubbey Records calls a "little honeycomb", is a psychedelic pop ballad brought to you to by two prominent contributors of the Slow Break and the Cut Family Foundation: Shawna Dellecave and Jason Cox. The duo wastes no time leaping headlong into this organ and humbucker fueled drive down a summer country road, lyrically climaxing with the lines: "you gotta' shake hands naturally/ sell yourself, that's the key/ you're a brand, that's all."

Tamara Dearing knows how to use a Wurlitzer, and for proof of this, look no further than the B side of this hot pink piece of wax in your hands. You must have an awesome record collection. On "Break Your Heart," Dearing's keyboards and lyrics sing like a doo-wop outfit while her drums groove like feel-good gangster rap, proclaiming "these are the records I play when I can't stand up straight."

This release is limited to 300 hand numbered copies, so be sure to pick it up whileyou still can!

9/25 Furlong/Anderson -free 7"

There is something very special going on in Louisville these days. the tradition of local bands releasing 7" singles is coming back. It seems vinyls presses are realizing that it's better to have affordable prices and get work, than charge $6 per print and have no work.

2 weeks ago LOUISVILLE IS FOR LOVERS had their first in a series of 2 band outdoor shows with a free split 7" to anyone in attendance, series to resume in the spring. Skull Alley is also doing this once a month.

and, Starting on the 25th, Gubbey Records is doing their own 7" series, free at the door at Derby City Expresso, with Furlong & Anderson, all ages, 9pm, $3. and they obviously are not concerned about recouping their expenses, this sexy 7" is a split solid black and red with full color inserts.

this is Gubbey Records first release in 5 years.