1/9/2010 9:30 PM
at Cadieux Cafe
Detroit Eastside
Cost: $5
1/9/2010 9:30 PM
at Cadieux Cafe
Detroit Eastside
Cost: $5
Bricktown STATION!!
Friday
1/8/2010 10PM
Paycheck's Lounge
2932 caniff
hamtown MI
Cost: $5
Wild At Heart
Wild At Heart
Welcome to 2010 which has been designated the International Year of Biodiversity (a year-long celebration of biological diversity and its value for life on Earth) and International Year of Youth by the United Nations. I am just hoping that it is the year of finding a lasting job though I am really enjoying the work I am doing now with the Census Bureau. I just updated my myspace page (myspace.com/wildatheart_13) with upcoming test dates so if you haven't called for an appointment, feel free to stop by and take the test. We need to hire about 1,000 people throughout the area and while it is only temp work, it could be worth it. Call 1-866-861-2010 to schedule an appointment.
I spent New Year's working my security job which gets annoying just standing around watching people get drunk and stupid without being able to do the same. The most annoying thing was the fact that the venue was unable to keep up with the number of people at the event. This meant overflowing trash cans with lots of people slipping and sliding. The live video feed of other areas around the country also seemed underused. If you have a live feed of Chicago, why not use it when they celebrate midnight? I just expected more of an event that charged quite a bit for tickets and didn't seem to deliver thought the food looked good even though I didn't get a bite. And when did women's dress outfits start looking overly skanky and bland. I though fancy dresses were suposed to make girls look hot, not like whores. When did it become fashion for belts to be worn just under the breasts? Belts or ribbons are supposed to make your waist look sexy. They just look geeky when they are up high. And sexy dress skirts should be just above the knee or the ankle. Anything shorter is something I expect on a hooker or stripper. Also, white girls wearing black stockings with a black dress looks stupid. The only time you should be wearing black stocking is if you are posing for fetish magazines a la Bettie Page. Also, with a nicely cut dress, wear a nice necklace. Just something simple and elegant to draw attention to your neck and bust line. Maybe I'm just old-fashioned, but a high class party deserves high class outfits which should make me turn my head thinking "sexy" instead of "did her dog pick that outfit for her". Hopefully next year I'll be at some simple NYE party at some small club with a live band.
Not much else is going on in my life. I would like to bring attention to a new video project by filmmaker hopeful Laura Schwartz who has a series called "Unheard" which focuses on local bands that are on the cusp of breaking it to the big time. At the Crofoot before Christmas I saw her Detroit installment which looked at a number of bands such as the Silent Years and Deastro. I think this is a great idea and hope to see this get picked up by someone. Most people like top ten lists this time of year, so here are my top 10 local bands I would like to see in her series. 1) Great lakes Myth Society, 2) Emily Rose, 3) Oscillating Fan Club, 4) Audra Kubat, 5) Alex Winston, 6) Wildcatting, 7) Jill Jack, 8) Lightning Love, 9) Loretta Lucas, 10) Nadir's Distorted Soul.
Speaking of music, not much is happening this first full week of the new year and what their is is mostly local bands.
Thursday (01/07) the Reefermen @ Memphis Smoke (Royal Oak) or Bump @ Small's
Friday (01/08) local rock/country with Whitey Morgan & the 78's w/Deadstring Brothers, Doop and the Inside Outlaws and The Orbitsuns @ Magic Bag, the classic Dennis Coffey Quartet @ Baker's Keyboard Lounge or the Satin Peaches @ PJ's Lager House
Saturday (01/09) - the metal band that could Anvil @ Crofoot, the beautiful Ragbirds @ Majestic Cafe, Dick Siegel @ The Ark, Jill Jack's CD Release party @ Callahan's or blues artist Thornetta Davis @ Harbor House (Detroit)
I would also like to start the new year with something new. I would like to bring the wonderful readers of this blog a sampling of bands and songs that I think everyone should know. There are so many great local and national bands that get forgotten or overlooked by the radio stations that I would like to use this forum as a way of supplementing my radio show and bring these artist back into the light. I hope that everyone enjoys this and I am open to suggestions. Starting off this section is a band that features my favorite artist of all time, Cyndi Lauper, before she became famous. Before girls wanted to have fun, Cyndi was in a band called 'Blue Angel' which was was a retro-rockabilly band that was popular in the New York club scene for a bit. Besides Cyndi, the band included John Turi (keyboard and saxophone), Arthur "Rockin' A" Neilson (guitar), Lee Brovitz (bass guitarist who also played with 60's garage band Shadows Of Knight) and JHohnny Morelli (drums). Lauper and Turi wrote the bulk of their material which covered new wave and punk in a fun way with Cyndi showing early glimpses of what was to come. While just a blip on the radar here, the album did decent overseas. Here is a video for the song "Late" which I hope you enjoy.
Both musicians were originally drummers for other bands and wanted to show that drummers were creative musical forces and more than merely providers of backbeats for other people's songs. The project began as an experiment in the creation of sound, with masking vocals that swirl like ghosts in a sea of reverb, beats and distortion, creating a sound that amounted to a beautiful clutter. Although they hadn't much experience performing other instruments prior to combining their forces, or perhaps because of it, they developed a psychedelic ambient sound that is unique in a way that separates them from the other bands in the abundant Los Angeles music scene.
While they both still play drums and various percussions, they learned to incorporate guitars, pedals and looping effects, even as they were still learning to play the instruments. Rather than procrastinate in a rehearsal space, they chose to perform live as often as they could at any place that would welcome them. Through dozens of shows in their early months, they developed their style and their fanbase at the same time, playing mostly in galleries and all age venues. Rather than relying on luck to be discovered, and confident in the power of their sweeping scores, they released their first self-produced and self-released ep, "Sounds Outside" within a few months of forming and it was warmly received, garnering rave reviews from Los Angeles publications like LA Record and grabbing the attention of influential label Manimal Vinyl and producer Prefuse 73.
Quickly advancing to the the top indie rock clubs in town like Spaceland, The Echo and The Smell, their fanbase and reputation grew in leaps and bounds. They were immediately snatched up by Manimal Vinyl who is releasing their new ep "Origins" in January. The EP was produced by Prefuse 73, who postponed his own recording for the opportunity to work with the band. In the studio, Prefuse added textural instruments and arrangements and brought the two musicians vocals closer to the forefront. The result is a combination of compositions that fall somewhere between Enya and the Plastic Ono Band.
Barely a year after combining forces, VOICEsVOICEs were opening shows for artists like Blackheart Procession and Octopus Project In November, 2009 they were tapped for a month-long European touring with Brightblack Morning Light and Rio en Medio. Their shows are notable for attracting some of the top local musicians and scenemakers who become avid fans after one or two listens.
Their soundscapes will send you into a peaceful slumber or make you scream and want to break things, sometimes causing both reactions at the same time.
ORIGINS OUT 01.26.2010 on Manimal Vinyl