Crushing Krisis

Comic Books, Drag Race, & Life in New Zealand

music

#MusicMonday: “Sorry I’m An Asshole” – Sunshine Superman

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In the past year or so the frequency with which I receive pitch emails has risen.

I’m sure that’s not some sign of my rising status as a blogger (as if), but more the general trend of people realizing blogs can help spread the word about the thing they’ve been toiling to produce.

A lot of the music pitches whiz by unnoticed, because they’re asking me to do something I don’t have time for – read up on some obscure artist, or come to a show with just a few days (or hours) notice.

The pitch I got from reader Lewen on behalf of local band Sunshine Superman was different:

I’m a long time reader/supporter of your blog and thought that you might like to check out a band I work with.

Here’s a video of ours that has been well received and gotten tons of views … I’ll keep this brief as I’m sure you get tons of emails.

Pretty simple: a person who claims to be a steady reader wants me to watch a video. I can do that. You can too – here’s their hyper-catchy, DIY-recorded, track, “Sorry I’m An Asshole.”

I am so freaking in love with this song! It appropriates a Ronnettes handclap rhythm, strips it of the wall of sound, and tops it with a slightly icy sing-song vocal that immediately made me think of Sia (aided by the up-close shots in the video, which are similar to her “Buttons”).

It’s not just the song that’s awesome. Let’s talk about all the awesome in this pitch: [Read more…] about #MusicMonday: “Sorry I’m An Asshole” – Sunshine Superman

See me rock with Filmstar for free on 11/18!

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Reasons why you should plan to attend Filmstar & Cris Valkyria and the Opponents on Friday 11/18 at Fergie’s Pub.

(a) I play bass for Filmstar; E sings lead vocals.

(b) This could be Filmstar’s final gig of 2011, and it’s on a Friday night in a bar and it’s free. Beat that.

(c) I have been quietly agitating for a split bill with Cris Valkyria and her band since before I joined Filmstar.

(d) E’s minimalist concert posters have been growing increasingly awesome.

(e) The past handful of new songs from bandleader Glenn have been amazing, and I have to think we’ll play at least a couple at this show including at least one debut.

(f) Did I mention free?

Mark your calendars!

Filmstar Double A-Side: Drum Mixdowns

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I am radically Do-It-Yourself when it comes to music.

Since Gina is also a dedicated DIYer we always go that route with Arcati Crisis with no questions asked. We record ourselves, design our own graphics and websites, rehearse at home, and are now working on creating our own merchandise.

Filmstar is different. They DIY some things, but not others. They’ve been to a recording studio, used a rehearsal space, hired a photographer, and are even discussing working with a manager.

I try not to unduly influence the band with my mutinous DIY ways, but when it came to dropping big dollars on studio recording when we had never been through the process before I couldn’t keep my mouth shut. The result was last month’s drum engineering session in our dining room, which I spent a big chunk of yesterday mixing down. [Read more…] about Filmstar Double A-Side: Drum Mixdowns

#MusicMonday: “Electric Love” – Victoria Spaeth & The Spaeth Cadets

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One of the amazing things about discovering a local music scene is that you realize that your next most-favorite song in the world could be walking around on the streets of your city, waiting for you to discover it.

Over the past few years my ratio of beloved favorite tunes has tipped in favor of local, with the incredible songwriters in Philly’s scene lodging melodies in my head again and again. On Friday I was a terrible delinquent friend and fan and fell asleep on my futon before I could drive to Old City to see three of those songwriters – Dante Bucci, Andrea Nardello, and Victoria Spaeth – play a show at the Tin Angel that I had been looking forward to for months.

Seriously, I should never be allowed to sit by myself on that futon after dark without a guitar in my hands. Nothing but narcolepsy can come of it.

Luckily, technology has saved the day – there’s a video playlist of Victoria Spaeth’s entire set from the show, which includes her breath-taking tune “Electric Love.”

I remember the first time I saw Vicky play “Electric Love” song, as well as “Breath and Release,” which is on her debut CD. It was as if she sucked all of the air and light out of the whole room and surrounded herself with it, so that you couldn’t survive in the vacuum unless you were right there with her in the moment. Both songs are instant classics – they sound like lost Joni Mitchell tunes with their sighing vocals, string-slapping rhythms, and easy sensuality.

It has been amazing to watch Victoria grow from a girl who played Jewel songs at open mics to a serious artist with crazy guitar chops who is penning some of my favorite songs. I’m so very proud of her progress, especially because it means I have even more favorite songs to fill my ears with.

Awake and Asleep with Taxicab Racers, and other stories

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By the time I went to sleep on Thursday night I had been awake for over 24-hours, found a fellow academically-minded songwriter slash comic nerd, invited a rock band from Tennessee back to our place to sleep with us, and nearly fell off a stage due to momentary blindness.

My life, it’s strange.

I. Wide Awake
Thursday night brought E and I to Northstar Bar to play a Filmstar a show, coincidentally two years less a day after our big Blame-a-Thon bash that I helped to organize and Filmstar rocked.

In a similar state of affairs to Blame-a-Thon, I was on my way towards 24 hours of wakefulness and running nearly empty. The freak storm on Thursday early morning woke me up at 2am, and I could go back to sleep (partially because I was freaked out about my friend Kris being trapped on I-76 overnight for four hours).

Our load-in was posted for 6pm. You never really know what load-in means. It could mean, “that’s when we’ll unlock the door,” or it could mean, “be on stage and ready to soundcheck 15 minutes later.” E and I being E and I, we were freaking out that we wouldn’t arrive until 6:20pm. Filmstar being Filmstar, the other half of the band managed to beat us there. [Read more…] about Awake and Asleep with Taxicab Racers, and other stories