CMJ Diary: Wednesday October 20th

By Sedera Ranaivoarinosy

Not to going to go into detail, but my life has never been busier. Still, I decided this year I would let it affect my CMJ time as little as possible. Sure, for these first few days, that means no day parties for me, but hey, there’s plenty for me to see at night. So here’s a little run through of last night:

1. Pujol at Santos Party House

Pujol @ Santos, Oct. 20th, 2011

After almost going in the wrong entrance–two shows were happening at the same time–I make it inside Santos while the members of the band are finishing up their mic checks. Not to be stereotypical but Pujol‘s garage rock is not necessarily the type of music you’d necessarily expect to hear out of Nashville, TN. The club was at that point where there are quite a few people around but it’s not so full that you are squished into everyone so the vibe was welcoming but it was maybe still a bit early for a rager. Nonetheless, Pujol brought it: the bass made the ground under my feet shake and I caught myself checking if someone was texting me because the waves of sound were making my jacket vibrate. Cute note: Daniel Pujol ended the set mentioning that it was his sister’s birthday. It didn’t seem like she was in the audience but if I had had that set dedicated to me, I’d be pretty happy.

Next stop was Pianos. On the train over, I saw a contestant from the dance competition So You Think You Can Dance. It felt like an odd intrusion of the mainstream into my evening of indie takeover.

2. Cloud Nothings and Exitmusic at Pianos

Cloud Nothings @ Pianos, Oct. 20th, 2011

Going from Pujol to Cloud Nothings (if you subtract the subway ride from Santos to Pianos) made for a fairly seamless transition, although the Cleveland outfit could have used the clarity of sound Pujol enjoyed at Santos. Needless to say, my ears might not really ever function the same again but that didn’t ruin their performance per se. In fact, there was something kind of pleasant in the way the songs sounded and the flow of the band’s set. From one track to the next, I felt like I was going back through all the various stages of adolescence: the pop-punk “rebel” phase, followed by the angsty, more “hard rock” one and the more exploratory one, represented by more experimental and noisy sounds. Since these days I live running from place to place without much breathing time, that little bit of nostalgic energy was pretty comforting. But next time, I’ll be careful not to stay as close to the speakers.

Exitmusic @ Pianos, Oct. 20th, 2011

The second Exitmusic started playing, the pace changed immediately. While the music I’d heard until then was immediate and very raw, this was carefully calculated and orchestrated. It was obvious from the moment the band stepped on stage; their polished appearance was a long way away from the torn t-shirts and plain old jeans of the previous bands. In some way, it was almost a little intimidating to see how attractive everyone was in the band but bit by bit, that feeling faded away as the music and Aleksa Palladino’s haunting vocals shrouded the room. As the set built up, it was like we were all suspended mid-air, as if carried by the lofty guitars. And then Cold War Kids’ “Hang Me Up To Dry” started playing as they took off their instruments and it was back to reality where class the next day meant no more shows for that night.

02.25.11

by libbyh9190

XRay Eyeballs Premiere Single and Announce Tour

Brooklyn pop group XRay Eyeballs has announced their debut LP, Not Nothing, will be released on April 19th. Tracklisting is as follows:

1. Crystal
2. Nightwalkers
3. Egyptian Magician
4. Po’ Jam
5. Drums Not Dead
6. Broken Beds
7. Xray Eyeballs Theme
8. Big Toe
9. Kam Sing Knights
10. Fake Wedding
11. Escape From That Girl

The first single will be “Crystal:”
http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F10307540 Xray Eyeballs “Crystal” by HOZAC RECORDS

You can catch XRay Eyeballs at the following spots and dates:

2/18 – The Gutter – Brooklyn, NY
2/23 – Don Hill’s – New York, NY
3/7 – Black Cat – Washington, DC*
3/9 – Pinhook – Durham, NC &
3/10 – Little KIngs – Athens, GA
3/11 – 529 – Atlanta, GA
3/12 – Savannah Stopover Festival – Savannah, GA
3/13 – Siberia – New Orleans, LA
3/14 – Warehouse Live – Houston, TX
3/15 – 3/20 – SXSW – Austin, TX
3/22 – Valley of the Vapors Festival – Hot Springs, AK
3/23 – Hi Tone – Memphis, TN $
3/24 – Schubas Tavern – Chicago, IL %
3/25 – Atlas Bar – Detroit, MI @
3/26 – Beachland Ballroom – Cleveland, OH
* w/JEFF the Brotherhood
& w/Spider Bags
$ w/Surf City, PUJOL, Turbo Fruits
% w/Nones
@ w/Terrible Twos

02.11.11

by wesleyambrecht

Pujol Bring Their Music To The Nation

Daniel Pujol, the reluctant “Philosopher King of the Nashville Scene,” and his band Pujol recently released a 7″ single for their track “Black Rabbit.” And, starting last week, they’re touring in support of the song. Peep the video for “Black Rabbit” and a list of tour dates, down below.

Upcoming US Tour Dates
2/6/11 – Machines with Magnets – Providence, RI*
2/7/11 – The OX – Philadelphia, PA*
2/8/11 – Beachland Ballroom – Cleveland, OH*
2/9/11 – MOTR Pub – Cincinnati, OH
3/11 – ACAC Basement – Little Rock, AK**
3/12 – 35 Conferette Festival – Denton, TX**
3/15 – 3/19 – SXSW – Austin, TX
3/20 – Super Happy Funland – Houston, TX**
3/30 – The Pinhook – Durham, NC**
3/31 – Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar – Charlottesville, NC**
4/2 – 123 Pleasant St. – Morgantown, WV**
4/3 – Pilot Light – Knoxville, TN**

*w/ Monotonix
**w/ Turbo Fruits

12.07.10

by nmcollins

Pujol Premiere Jack White Produced Single

Pujol, the brainchild of frontman Daniel Pujol, has been rocking Nashville so hard, Jack White finally heard. Pujol “recalls Paul Westerberg on those early, bratty Replacements records.” Prefix Mag. One of Spin Magazines five Nashville bands you need to know, Pujol’s 7″ “Black Rabbit” is out now on Third Man Records. There is also a limited edition 7″ coming later this month (“No Feeling”) on Turbo Time Record. Check out “Too Safe” produced by Jack White, then catch them on the road.

Pujol Too Safe Single by nmcollins

Upcoming US Tour Dates
12/13 – Siberia – New Orleans, LA*
12/14 – Fitzgerald’s – Houston, TX*
12/15 – Theo’s Billiards – Corpus Christi, TX*
12/16 – Korova – San Antonio, TX*
12/17 – Red 7 – Austin, TX*
12/18 – Rubbergloves – Denton, TX*
12/19 – Buccaneer – Memphis, TN*

2/1/11 – The Bottletree Cafe – Birmingham, AL**
2/2/11 – The End – Nashville, TN**
2/3/11 – King Barcade – Raleigh, NC**
2/4/11 – Comet Pizza – Washington D.C.**
2/5/11 – 285 Kent – Brooklyn, NY**
2/6/11 – Machines with Magnets – Providence, RI**
2/8/11 – Beachland Ballroom – Cleveland, OH**

*w/ Turbo Fruits
**w/ Monotonix

10.13.10

by John Grimley

Pujol Releases New EP, Announces Tour With Turbo Fruits

Pujol, friend of Turbo Fruits and one of Spin’s 5 Hot Nashville Bands (although no relation to Albert), has released a new EP and announced a co-headline tour with Turbo Fruits.

Alive At The Same Time came out yesterday, October 12th on Turbo Time Records, and is pressed on a special clear vinyl..

The two rising Nashville bands will be venturing out of the south to bring their sound to you. Isn’t that nice of them? You can check out Pujols (and Turbo Fruits) here…

10/13 – Charlottesville, VA – The Southern*
10/14 – Philadelphia, PA – The Ox*
10/15 – New Brunswick, NJ – Meat Town USA*
10/16 – Brooklyn – Death By Audio*
10/17 – Jamaica Plain, MA – Homegrown Festival**
10/18 – Easthampton, MA – Flywheel*
10/19 – Scranton, PA – Vintage Theater*
10/22 – Washington DC – Comet Pizza*
10/23 – Brooklyn, NY – Knitting Factory*
11/10 – Nashville, TN – Nashville Public Library
11/11 – Louisville, KY – Rudyard Kipling*
11/12 – Carbondale, IL – Gatsbys*
11/13 – Chicago, IL – Crown Liquors*
11/14 – Milwaukee, WI – Cactus Club*
11/15 – Kalamazoo, MI – The Strutt*
11/16 – Detroit, MI – Lager House*
11/17 – Muncie, IN – Be Here Now*
11/18 – Indianapolis, IN – Radio Radio*
11/19 – Bloomington, IN – Video Saloon*

*with Turbo Fruits
**with Turbo Fruits, JEFF the Brotherhood, Ty Segall, So Cow & Lightning Bolt

10.07.10

by John Grimley

Turbo Fruits Announce Tour With Pujol

Nashville group Turbo Fruits play a very specific type of smokey, BBQ-brand rock and roll. Apparently it is striking the right chord with a few people.

The group, named one of the five best new acts in Nashville by Spin, has announced plans for a U.S. tour with fellow Nashville natives Pujol (incidentally also on Spin’s list).

Furthermore, the group will be putting out a 7-inch on October 12^th, called Where The Stars Don’t Shine.

You can catch two of the quickest rising rock acts…

10/13 – Charlottesville, VA – The Southern*

10/14 – Philadelphia, PA – The Ox*

10/15 – New Brunswick, NJ – Meat Town USA*

10/16 – Brooklyn – Death By Audio*

10/17 – Jamaica Plain, MA – Homegrown Festival*

10/18 – Easthampton, MA – Flywheel*

10/19 – Scranton, PA – Vintage Theater*

10/20 – New Haven, CT – Cafe 9

10/22 – Washington DC – Comet Pizza*

10/23 – Brooklyn, NY – Panache CMJ Showcase at Knitting Factory*