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Listings are
in the opposite order of appearance: headliner is listed at the top,
next is the support band(s),
and the last band listed is the opener.
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Wednesday
March 26 2014 8:30PM doors -- music at 9:00PM ••• 21 AND OVER $12 in advance / $14 at the door The Appleseed Cast greenkansas.wix.com/theappleseedcast indie rock The Dandelion War thedandelionwar.net/ post-rock Big Long Now biglongnow.bandcamp.com/ experimental ghetto jazz post-punk The Appleseed Cast Chris Crisci, Taylor Helenbeck, Nate Whitman, and Nathan Wilder. -From Lawrence, Kansas. "A Blend of two dubiously-termed styles- post-rock, emo- has been the bread and butter of Kansas-hailing brainiacs The Appleseed Cast since the late '90s. If you've never heard them, you might be surprised to hear how broadly that blend can be pushed. With each release, they redefine. Remaining true to form, Illumination Ritual all but abandons the droning structures and sweeping arrangements of 2009's Sagarmartha for what hits like a return to the lively, visceral Mare Vitalis with the free-flowing creativity of the Low Level Owl discs in mind. In theory, that should be great. It is. You could get away with calling this album the opposite of their underrated LP Peregrine- if that disc was a sad, scatterbrained golem of eclecticism, Illumination Ritual represents lightness, concision, and, especially, unity. "Great Lake Derelict," "Barrier Islands (Do We Remain)," and "Clearing Life" remind very much of Mare Vitalis in terms of energy and mood, but come sans the overt angst. In fact, the whole affair is something of a warm, peaceful listen. Chris Crisci contributes a mellow vocal performance and steps a bit further behind the band's racket, while drummer Nathan Wilder takes focus with racing, intricate riffs, heavy on rim-clicks and ride-bells. Pop code is a non-issue as usual- hooks and structure often give way to washes of texture and sharp turns. In context, diversions like "Branches On The Arrow Peak Revelation" or "Simple Forms" add so much, and can't be skipped. And my personal fave, "Adriatic To Black Sea," is a meditative opener that puts me in a state of bliss. That track sets a strong tone, one of a band successfully wrangling its urge for mountainous theatre into something shaped sort of like their own private vision of post-punk. Enjoy the sound of gurus getting a bit wiser and having lots of fun." -Darryl Norrell, The Aquarian The Dandelion War Larry Fernandez, Mikey Fuson, Jeff Kay, Julius Masibay, and Chris Strebel. -From Oakland, California. -"The Dandelion War successfully does the airy, Radiohead meets Sigur Ros thing, though not as long-winded. Like other bands in the genre, dynamics shift between multi-instruments, and strong beats provide a solid backdrop for the melodies. The vocals sometimes give way to the playing, which will keep the band from leaning into Coldplay territory. It sounds like they think that's a good thing." -Oakland Tribune Big Long Now Jimmy Ryan, Matt O'Reilly, and Sean Asmar. -From Oakland, California. -Sean called Nick, an old friend from college (in NH) living in LA, and asked if he knew anybody in the Bay Area who played drums, he said he actually did, an old friend, Jimmy, who lived down the street from Sean in West Oakland. They met up, jammed, and it turned out Jimmy sucked at the drums. He said "I play bass better, let's meet up tomorrow." They did, and he ripped on the bass. It was natural and they worked well together. After playing together for a few months with a drummer, Paul, Jimmy got run over by an 18-wheeler while on a bike ride. After five long months recovering in a hospital and then at home in NH, Jimmy moved back to West Oakland, but this time with childhood friend and drummer buddy Matty. They all moved into a house together and started playing music, calling themselves Big Long Now. |
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