Category Archives: Indie

07.28.11
by

Friendo Debuts New LP And Announces Tour Dates

Friendo is not typically known for their conventional ways and generic sound.  Instead, this band enjoys pushing the envelope and seeking out new ways to expand their musical horizons.  With their recent release, entitled Cold Toads, band members Michael, Nicole and Henry decided to swap instruments allowing them to embark on new creative territory.

Heavily influenced by the sounds of ‘90s experimental rock, ‘70s punk and ‘60s pop, Friendo has recorded a unique masterpiece within the confines of their home and has self-released the album in a retro and smart format, the cassette tape.  The album has now been picked up by the St Ives label which is run by Secretly Canadian and the band is releasing 200 limited edition, hand crafted vinyl albums to run alongside the digital iTunes release in addition to the previously released cassette tape format.

Friendo just made their way through the UK and Europe on a two week tour playing with bands like BRAIDS and Future Islands.  For more information about Cold Toad and Friendo, visit the band’s site here.

07.27.11
by

Life Size Maps Release New EP


Brooklyn based alt-rockers and friends of the site, Life Size Maps, have officially released their new EP, Magnifier. The EP represents an evolution of sound for the band, as this new grouping of tracks is both noisier and more complex.

The band kicked things off with a release party at Monster Island Basement in Williamsburg with Dino Walrus, Total Slacker and Soft Black. Visit the band’s myspace page MySpace page. And, in the meantime, be sure to listen to our exclusive preview of the band’s new track “This Same House,” down below.

 

07.26.11
by

Ivan & Alyosha Slot Additional Tour Dates


Fresh off a successful gig at the NXNE festival in Toronto this past weekend, Ivan & Alyosha have announce a number of additional tour dates in July and August with Brandi Carlile, as well as appearances at the Midpoint and Pygmalion music festivals in September. The Seattle band was jus on the road in the North East, taking part in New York City’s iconic River to River festival, before heading south for shows in Georgia and Tennessee. Check out the full list of dates down below.

28 – Bellingham, WA – Mount Baker Theatre*

29 – Seattle, WA – Woodland Park Zoo*

30 – Portland, OR – Portland Zoo Amphitheatre*

AUGUST

01 – Chico, CA – El Rey Theatre*

02 – Lake Tahoe, NV – Montbleu Casino*

05 – Sandpoint, ID – Festival at Sandpoint*

09 – Bozeman, MT – Emerson Cultural Center*

12 – Omaha, NE – Slowdown*

13 – Apple Valley, MN -Weesner Amphitheatre*

14 – Duluth, MN – Clyde Iron Works*

16 – Fargo, ND – Fargo Theatre*

20 -Aspen, CO – Belly Up*

21 – Salt Lake City, UT – Red Butte*

23 – Eugene, OR – Jaqua Concert Hall*

SEPTEMBER

23 – Urbana, IL – Pygmalion Festival

24 – Cincinnati, OH – Midpoint Music Festival

* = w/ Brandi Carlile

07.26.11
by

CSS Roll Out New Single


Recently CSS unveiled the lead single from their forthcoming album La Liberación. Entitled “Hits Me Like A Rock,” the song features guest vocals from Primal Scream’s Bobby Gillespie. Bubbling over with some serious pop energy, the track is currently available for free download HERE.

The full “Hits Me Like A Rock” single, which hits iTunes soon, will also include remixes courtesy of Dillon Francis and Mad Decent’s digital dance purveyors Depressed Buttons. So, keep an eye out for that.

07.25.11
by

Cut Off Your Hands Announce Release Of New Album In August

New Zealand band Cut Off Your Hands have announced that they will be releasing the follow up to their 2008 album later this summer.  The album entitled Hollow will be a mixture of new sounds and a rediscovered passion for playing music from band front man Nick Johnston.  After 2008’s release of You & I, the band embarked on a three year tour and endured many personnel changes within the band, all of which left Johnston feeling a little disillusioned about music and wondering what his future would be.

“Something clicked in the time off between records,” says Johnston. “As I stopped worrying about what we should be doing, I began listening to records out of pure fun again and they ended up really influencing my writing.”

The result is a masterful sound of melancholic guitar riffs and melodies influenced by bands such as Echo & the Bunnymen, the Byrds, Bob Dylan and fellow countrymen the Bats and Bird Nest Roys.  This time out, the band knew which direction they wanted this album to go and how they wanted this album to sound. 

“A big thing for me was getting out of that songwriting slump,” explains Johnston, “realizing that making music is still meaningful for me.”

Hollow will be released on August 16th via Frenchkiss Records.  There are plans for a US tour following the release. 

Tracklisting

You Should Do Better
Hollowed Out
Fooling No One
Nausea
By Your Side
All It Takes
Oh Hell
Down and Out
Buried