Familiarize Yourself

This weekend was Canasta‘s record release show at Schuba’s. I attended the earlier of two sets they performed that night, both of which included a free CD with the ticket price. The album, The Fakeout, The Tease and the Breather, is their second full-length following 2005′s We Were Set Up.

After sampling songs on Canasta’s MySpace I was excited for the show but I wasn’t expecting just how great it turned out to be. Canasta performed songs in a variety of styles, ranging from Billy Joel-esque rock (think “It’s Still Rock ‘n’ Roll to Me”) to Ryan Adams-esque country-tinged melodics (think “La Cienega Smiled”) to Spoon-esque pop. The band’s eclectic sound can be attributed in part to their numerous and varying instruments which include piano, keyboard, horns, trombone, and violin in addition to guitar, bass, and drums.

Every member of the band with the exception of their drummer contributed vocals, giving their performance a robust, rich sound (if you’ve seen Ha Ha Tonka live you know what I mean). In particular, Elizabeth Lindau’s hypnotic vocals lent a mystical vibe to their moodier songs while her violin provided melancholy, country-inspired elements. Meanwhile, Matt Priest’s leading vocals were smooth and flawless as he navigated his way through the songs.

What impressed me most was the content of their music, which is not composed of cheap rhymes and simple chord progressions, but seems to be crafted thoughtfully in a way that is best suited to tell the story of each song. It is for this reason that I can really see this band getting huge, not in a band-of-the-moment kind of way but in a national-cult-following kind of way, because they don’t rely on trends and gimmicks to beef up their show or music; they possess real musical talents.

At Schuba’s it was apparent that this band is not just about the performance. That is not to say that they lack stage presence, but that they were there to share music with their fans, not to present a show. This approach was recognized by the nearly-full room of fans who cheered excitedly at the start of each song recognized, both old and new. Priest reciprocated the enthusiasm, jokingly admitting, “All night long I’ve been very appreciative of everything all the time. It’s not very rock ‘n’ roll.”

The band closed their set with a jazzed-up version of Blackstreet‘s 1996 hit “No Diggity” including a three-piece live horn section, over which Priest rapped expertly with an exaggerated southern twang and the attitude to back it up.

All in all it was a fantastic performance and I am eager to listen to The Fakeout, The Tease and The Breather, which you can stream in its entirety on their website’s audio page.

Also, be sure to check out their FREE live performance at Reckless Records on May 16.

Reckless Records | 3126 N Broadway, Chicago, IL 60657 | 5pm | Free in-store performance

Very rarely am I solicited by bands that are actually spot-on in terms of my taste in music. Those of you who follow my posts regularly should know by now that while I enjoy indie rock, 60s-vibe pop-rock, and pop-punk my true musical passions are pop, electropop, and emotronic. Give me a dance beat, melodic synth, and autotuned vocal melodies that get stuck in my head for a week; I can’t get enough.

It’s songs like Derek and the Darling‘s “Hustler with a Rescue Plan” that cause me to dance on the train. I try to keep it quiet so as not to disturb the people around but that’s me you’ve been giving weird looks on the red line every morning as I jam out to Ke$ha and 3oh!3 on my iPod. This song has a good catchy chorus, fun synth pieces, and deep poppy male vocals.

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Unfortunately none of the other five songs featured on Derek and the Darling’s MySpace make my list. “Suddenly” is a relaxing lighthearted electronic track a la Owl City, but not as good as Owl City (or the Postal Service for that matter but I’m hesitant to even bring the talent that is Ben Gibbard into this article).

Next is “Lucky Lola,” a darker rock song backed by a “I Love Rock N Roll”-esque stomp stomp clap instrumental. Again, let’s not even compare this band to Joan Jett except to say that this song made me want to turn it off and put on some Jett.

I could swear that “You” came straight out of the 90s. Like a weak Alanis Morisette or Meredith Brooks rip off.

Last is “Alabaster Sky,” a soft song that sounds like it belongs in a musical. Enough said.

So there you have it. One fantastic song and four that I’d rather not listen to. Nothing original in this band’s music but man do I love “Hustler With A Rescue Plan”. And I must say it’s nice once in a while to appreciate one song alone and not have to love or hate a band based on their whole catalog. (Kinda like the ONE Nickelback song I like. Yikes!)

Chicago locals The Moves have a show coming up this weekend that may strike your fancy. The band takes heavy influence from 80s New Wave and blends in a touch of 90s garage rock. But don’t be fooled into thinking they’re not striking a chord in my pop-lovin’ heart; pop-y melodies bring their sound to the present.

Working one’s way up the local band totem pole is rough, and it’s something with which The Moves’ singer Dave Spaulding is familiar. In an interview this February with Chicago Sun-Times writer Kyle Koster, Spaulding said, “There are times — and not to sound overly dramatic — that it seems like everyone is against you. Your favorite club doesn’t want to book you, you’re writing letters to your favorite bands and they’re not writing back and you don’t have any money … it seems like the biggest uphill battle in the world. [You have to] take situations like that… and make the best of them, turn them into positives.”

That optimistic attitude is paying off, as the band has been noticed by such Chicago radio stations as Fearless, Q101 and XRT, all of which have given The Moves some spins. Additionally, the band had the opportunity to perform at a two-day gay rights rally – the GLSEN Night of Noise – to 400+ people each night. They’ve made the rounds through Chicago’s local venues such as Beat Kitchen, The Abbey, Metro, and Bottom Lounge.

You can download their new wave-y, The Killers-inspired “Song of Passing” for FREE by clicking HERE (download will start automatically).

Their song “Revolution Bound”, while not their strongest song, holds a message I wholeheartedly get down with. Written around the time of the Prop 8 debate, Spaulding decided to express his feelings about gay rights. “I couldn’t think of another song that explicitly calls for equal rights for gays and the whole gay marriage issue”. Check out “Song of Passing”, “Revolution Bound”, and other punk-pop-rock tomorrow night at Metro.

Metro, 3730 N. Clark | All Ages | Doors: 6pm | $9

Today is day eight of the Everyone Everywhere MP3 Blog Tour, which means that the 8th song, “Fld Ovr,” from their upcoming, self-titled release is now available for download via Familiarize Yourself! The more I listen to this album,  the more I love it, and if you are at all interested in anything reminiscent of ’90s emo or indie rock/punk…i’m sure you’ll love it too. So, without further ado, here is “Fld Ovr” by Philadelphia, PA’s Everyone Everywhere:

“Fld Ovr” by Everyone Everywhere

Make sure you check out all the other “tour dates” and pick up all the tracks from this awesome album!

Side A:
Monday, April 19th: The Ripple Effect “ Tiny Planet”
Tuesday, April 20th: Can You See The Sunset From The Southside “ Raw Bar OBX 2002″
Wednesday, April 21st: Built On A Weak Spot “œFrom The Beginning To The Tail”
Thursday, April 22nd: Dryvetyme Onlyne “(That’s me!) “ Tiny Town”
Friday, April 23rd: Battle Of The Midwestern Housewives “Tiny Boat”

Side B:
Monday, April 26th:Deckfight “Music Work Paper Work”
Tuesday, April 27th: The Album Project” “Blown Up Grown Up”
Wednesday, April 28th: Familiarize Yourself “Fld Ovr”
Thursday, April 29th: Reviewsic “I Feel Fine”
Friday, April 30th: Clicky Clicky Music “Obama House, Fukui Prefecture”

The members of local Chicago band Model Stranger are getting ready for a very big day in their careers. This Saturday they will be playing a hometown record release show at the Cubby Bear. The release, “Dreams and Bones,” has been in the works since December and its production consumed the lives of the three musicians. In a making the record video drummer Vincent Joseph says, “Everything just happened so fast that it still, to me, feels like December. I just lost the past few months of my life but what we have to show for it is definitely worth it.”

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The band describe their sound as “an eclectic synthesis of psychedelic grunge and classic rock”. Their album was recorded live using analog equipment and vintage instruments.  It’s being released in limited edition vinyl, in addition to unlimited modern technology. The exclusive 7″ pressing will include a B-side track available only on the record.

Model Stranger is coming off of an 18-day tour during which they are scheduled to play 18 shows in 8 states. Despite their packed schedule I was able to get their attention long enough to answer some of my questions. Read more…

Next week, Familiarize Yourself will be doing something we’ve never done before. We’re give away an exclusive track from Everyone Everywhere‘s upcoming self-titled LP. If you’re a fan of ’90s emo stuff like The Promise Ring and Braid or comtemporary stuff like Algernon Cadwallader, you’ll LOVE this band and record. We were enlisted by the fine gentlemen who run Tiny Engines to be a part of a tour of independent blogs in an attempt to provide people with a song-by-song introduction to Everyone Everywhere. Ten different blogs will each post a different song from the record, including the opportunity to download that song. This way, by the time of the album’s physical release date, people will have heard each track and will be so impressed by the music than they’ll scurry over to the band and/or label website and order the album. So, make sure to comeback here on Wednesday April 28th and download the 10th track off the album, “Fld Ovr.” We really stoked about being able to give stuff away on here, so please help us, Everyone Everywhere, and all the other blogs by checking out sites and downloading all the tracks.

Make sure you check out all the other “tour dates” and pick up all the tracks from this awesome album!

Side A:
Monday, April 19th: The Ripple Effect “ Tiny Planet”
Tuesday, April 20th:Â Can You See The Sunset From The Southside “ Raw Bar OBX 2002″
Wednesday, April 21st:Â Built On A Weak Spot “œFrom The Beginning To The Tail”
Thursday, April 22nd:Â Dryvetyme Onlyne “(That’s me!) “ Tiny Town”
Friday, April 23rd: Battle Of The Midwestern Housewives “Tiny Boat”

Side B:
Monday, April 26th:Deckfight “Music Work Paper Work”
Tuesday, April 27th: The Album Project” “Blown Up Grown Up”
Wednesday, April 28th: Familiarize Yourself “Fld Ovr”
Thursday, April 29th: Reviewsic “I Feel Fine”
Friday, April 30th: Clicky Clicky Music “Obama House, Fukui Prefecture”

Be Creative. Be Imaginitive. Be Yourself. Just Be.

^{Photo: © Gali Firstenberg}

When I was 17 – a Junior in high school – I met someone who is now one of the greatest influences in my life. I was attending a charity event benefiting an NFP called UnityShows, and I had a life changing discussion with the org’s president, Dann Saxton. It turned out that aside from being a philanthropist and my future mentor, Dann was (and is ) also a great musician. Since then, I have been waiting for Kill the Complex – the band for which Saxton is the lyricist and singer – to release a full-length album. Read more…

I remember the first time I heard The Menzingers pretty vividly. It was back in August ’08 on the first day of a tour with Michigan’s Fuckin’ Gnarly that I was doing, and we had a show with a ton of bands at a some tiny house in State College, PA. About 24 hours before the show, I had just had staples removed from stomach from an emergency appendectomy that I had about a week and half before that, and against my better judgment I decided to travel across the eastern seaboard with 5 guys in a cramped van. About 2 hours into some rather mediocre bands playing through a horrible PA, I sat on a moldy couch watching said bands and started to regret my decision to embark on the journey, but then the Menzingers took the stage floor and all regret vanished. Somehow, the foursome was able to sound flawless through the cheap sound system, and after they torn through a cover of The Clash’s “Straight to Hell” I was instantly enthralled with them. It is not often that bands really wow me just off their live performances, but they were just that good.

The Menzingers – “Home Outgrown” (Altpress.com exclusive) by altpress

Read more…

If there is one thing I hate about going to a lot of shows, it is having to sit through the same shitty local opening band that somehow manages to get on every show I go to. I mean it can get to the point where I know words to songs by these terrible musicians solely because I’ve seen them so many times. However, every now and then a really good band is that local opener, and lately for me that band has been Elgin, IL’s The Brokedowns.

“Sean Spencer” by The Brokedowns

This foursome has been playing shows in and around the Chicagoland area on a seemingly daily pace recently, while putting out releases just as quickly as they’ve released split EPs with The Copyrights, The Arrivals, and Turkish Techno within the last year. In addition, their 2007 full-length New Brains For Everyone was re-released on vinyl just last week via Traffic Street Records. These guys are the definition of workhorses. Read more…