Tag Archives: Rock

A Riot in Soho

1 Apr

Soho Riots

Formed at Liverpool University in 2012, Soho Riots is an Indie foursome with a penchant for infectious rock and a flavor that mixes The Killers with Matchbox 20. For such a fledgling band, Soho Riots plays with almost effortless skill, focusing mainly on terrific vocals and catchy beats. The tunes move quickly with punk-like rhythms and moving guitar riffs. It’s always exciting coming across a band who, despite maintaining the fire of youthful vigor, construct songs fastidiously. It is this balance that makes Soho Riots a band you most certainly want to keep an eye out for on either side of the pond.
“Who’s Your Man” is a perfect example of what I write above. The song features a driving rhythm and a neat guitar riff that hug efficient vocals. It is a model of a well-developed piece. And, above all, the song is damn catchy, sticking with you after it ends. The toe-tapping is quick, memorable and has the makings of a great single.
“702” immediately yells alt/punk to me. A little Strokes, Weezer, and other alternative rock/punk fusion bands come to mind. The song, though, feels most like an early Killers song – a high compliment. It has the sheer potency to find a diverse audience, and I’m happy to share it with you all.
Find out more about Soho Riots: Facebook, Youtube

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A Rat Trap to Get Stuck In

19 Mar
Rat Trap

Rat Trap

Neutral Milk Hotel’s In the Aeroplane Over the Sea had a substantial impact on the 90’s Indie low-fi community when it was released in 1998. It’s heavy acoustic riffs combined with Jeff Mangum’s nasally croon and eccentric instrumentation demonstrated the peak of garage low-fi and its eventual fade. Now, Indie rock has become synonymous with bands like Mumford and Sons and Arcade Fire, and, while this is not a bad thing (for I do enjoy these bands), I often long for the days of Elephant 6. If you do too, you definitely want to read on.

Rat Trap, a Santa Cruz, California-based quintet, has revived those post-punk, garage, low-fi sounds of the 90s and has elegantly combined these sounds with modern influences (Andrew Bird, Bon Iver, Ramona Falls). Rat Trap represents a tornado of inspirations wrapped up like a top spinning rapidly into the ears of listeners. Oh, did I mention that none of the band members has eclipsed the legal drinking age in the United States?

That is just one of the many reasons why I find Rat Trap’s blend of old and new so engaging. The band, which formed in 2010, released its debut album in 2011 and has just recently released its new effort, Blueprints of a Paper City, in November of 2012. I had an opportunity to interview the members of Rat Trap, and, instead of introducing them, I will let them do so below. But, before I do, let’s listen to a track from the band’s most recent release.

“Birdhouses” features low-fi instrumentation and Jeffrey Lewis-like vocals. It is authentic and multifaceted. It is a solid incipient track fit with expansive rhythms and riffs. At times the song enters into a contained madness that is refreshing in its creative messiness.

INTERVIEW

Questions for Rat Trap: Music Court Interview

1.)    Let’s talk about the band a bit. How/where did you start? How old are you all? Give me the name of all the members, and, hey, what the hell, each members favorite band/artist.


Grant Simmons: I’m Grant Simmons, and I’m 16 years old. I write a lot of the material, play guitar, sing, and sometimes play piano. I started really getting into music and songwriting when I was about thirteen years old. I formed a guitar/drums duo in early 2010 with my friend. I formed Rat Trap in the summer later that year adding bass and another guitarist. Oliver came into the band about four months after that. Many a gig, some lineup changes, a lot of side project activity, two albums later, and here we are. I’d say my favorite bands that influence my songwriting are Modest Mouse, Frightened Rabbit, Pavement, etc.

Sean Hoban: I play guitar. My favorite bands include Neutral Milk Hotel and Dr. Dog.

Ben Humy: I played percussion since 5th grade, but it was boring sh*t like hitting triangles twice per song. A few years ago I started taking drum lessons and I was psyched. I met Grant through a friend, and then at some point Grant called me because his previous drummer flaked on a gig and he needed someone to take over for him. I came over, learned the songs they were playing, and went to the gig. That was the first gig I did with Rat Trap. I’m 17 years old. I can see R-rated movies ALL BY MYSELF. My favorite band is Broken Social Scene.

Owen Powell: My name is Owen Powell. I’m 14. I am the bass player, and my favorite band is Animal Collective. I started playing with Rat Trap about eight months ago.

Oliver Mueller-Tuescher: My name is Oliver, I’m 15, and I play violin. I met Grant at Kuumbwa Summer Jazz Camp 2010. He then asked me to join his band a couple of months after. My favorite band at the moment is Half Moon Run.

 

2.)    The music is really genre-bending. On first listen it was as if a wave of jam-packed musical influences smacked me in the face…which is really awesome. So, first question I have for you all is what are some of the bands/artists who you would say most influence your sound?

Grant: Modest Mouse, Built to Spill, Neutral Milk Hotel, Broken Social Scene, Pavement, Andrew Bird, The Antlers, Bon Iver, Cymbals Eat Guitars, Decemberists, Frightened Rabbit, Grizzly Bear, Explosions in The Sky, Mimicking Birds, Menomena, Ramona Falls, Sigur Ros, Wires in The Walls, The BASED God

3.)    This is your second album, correct? How would you describe the differences between your first and second album? Do you think you are maturing as musicians?

Grant: I think the new album is a lot more rock oriented than our first one. It’s also a lot darker and has more depth. Overall, I think it’s just way better. We’re much more unified as a band now, and I think we’re making better music as a result of it. I’m happy to say that all the members contributed a lot to this new album, whereas the first album was mainly just me doing all the writing. We also sound so much better live. We used to sound insecure when playing.

Ben: I joined the band shortly after the first album was released. At first I was more into just doing my own thing with the drums and not paying much attention to the other members. But now I’ve gotten much better at feeding off of the energy of the other bandmates. When I play now, I feel a lot more connected to the band than I used to.

Oliver: This year I’ve begun playing guitar, singing, and writing songs. The first song I ever seriously put on paper was ‘Raindrops’ off of the new album.

 

4.)    “Birdhouse” immediately shouted out to me low-fi 90’s Indie (Neutral Milk Hotel, Jeffrey Lewis). Talk to me about the creation of this song.

Sean: I was just messing around on my guitar, and I came up with the chords and main riff.

Grant: Sean brought the chords and riff to band practice, and I expanded it into a full song with all the arrangements. I paired the lyrics, and it was one of the first full songs we completed after finishing our first album, “The Western Boundary”. It is now a staple of ours.

 

5.)    The instrumental portion of “Towns” is pleasant and well-done. The violin adds so much to the music. You are not a typical Indie band, though. The music is different. What influenced the addition of the violin into the band?

Grant: I was inspired by bands like Modest Mouse, Sigur Ros, Frightened Rabbit, Andrew Bird; basically everything I was listening to at the time I formed the band. Originally, I just planned on having Oliver as a studio member that would play on a couple of songs every now and then, but after a couple of practices with him, I figured the violin could work with every song and give a whole new spin to our sound.

 

6.)    Fun question time! Let’s say you had to pick one band to play your music. Who do you think would do it the most justice?

Sean: BASED God, definitely.

Grant: I know it sounds kind of typical but probably Modest Mouse or Built to Spill.

Ben: BASED God.

Owen: I think Modest Mouse could play our music well and bring its own twist to the music at the same time.

Oliver: Half Moon Run all the way.

 

7.)    Question for everyone. You are abandoned on an island. You have everything you need, but no music. What three albums do you bring along with you?

 

Sean: “Fate” by Dr. Dog, “In the Aeroplane Over the Sea” by Neutral Milk Hotel, and “Intuit” by Ramona Falls.

Ben: “Everything I Own Is Broken” by B. Hamilton (That album is seriously amazing. B. Hamilton is from Oakland. I saw them with Grant at the Crepe Place in Santa Cruz. Shout out to those guys.), “We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank,” by Modest Mouse, which is kind of fitting for being abandoned on an island, and “Forgiveness Rock Record” by Broken Social Scene.

Grant: Of course, my answer to this question is never definite and always changing but here we go. I think I’d bring “Ágaetis Byrjun” by Sigur Ros, “Lonesome Crowded West” by Modest Mouse, and “Midnight Organ Fight” by Frightened Rabbit.

Owen: The three albums that I would bring to an abandoned island would be Merriweather Post Pavillion (Animal Collective), The Fruit that Ate Itself (Modest mouse), and Eternal Champ (Sweet Valley). That way I would have some good variety.

Oliver: I would most likely bring “Ghost” – Radical Face, Dan Mangan – “Nice, Nice, very Nice”, and “Dark Eyes” – Half Moon Run.

 

9.)    What are the plans for the future? New material? Are you playing some local dates?

Owen: We’ll probably be playing more local gigs and such in the coming months.

Oliver: I have been starting a new project called “Grassroots.” It’s kind of shoegazy and generally just a kind of dreamy sound.

Grant: We have some new material in the works already that we plan to try something totally new with (although I HIGHLY suggest all you readers go check out the new album ‘Blueprints of a Paper City that we released two months ago. It’s streaming on Bandcamp. While I’m plugging us, you guys should also totally go like our Facebook page!). We’ll also be playing more gigs. Our side project, The Perfectly Adequate Whales, a whale-oriented rap group that a lot of us take part in, has a new mixtape in the works that will come out soon (also check out their first mixtape if you have time – you can download it for free off of Bandcamp).

Check out the rest of Blueprints of a Paper City on Rat Trap’s Bandcamp. You can also visit Rat Trap’s Facebook.

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The Dunwells are Doing Just Fine

3 Oct

The Dunwells

Every band goes through a point early in their career when they must make a decision on whether or not their music is worth being pursued. It’s a dreaded decision.

That point in the Dunwells’ young career came when the well ran dry and they were without consistent shows. A fortuitous UK tour, an invite to perform at the Folk Alliance Conference in Memphis (which they took advantage of and flew in across the pond for despite their lack of funds), and the subsequent winning of the ‘break-out band’ title at the conference, turned around the favor of the British folk band, and since then, dare I say, they are doing quite well.

The Dunwells are one of the more intriguing bands I have profiled in a while. They display an authentic brand of organic Americana (despite their Leeds roots) and their powerful harmonies trump folk contemporaries like Mumford and Sons. The band also demonstrates a keen interest in creating variety in their music. Acoustic ballads much akin to Justin Nozuka or even Eric Hutchinson are followed by toe-tapping, riff-smashing Tom Petty-like songs. If I have one criticism with several folk bands today, it is with their lack of variety. The Dunwells crush that convention and then let their skillful harmonies do the rest of the talking.

The band was formed by Joseph and David Dunwell, two brothers and former solo performers, in October of 2009. They recruited friends and local musicians to complete their band, eventually ending up with a lineup that consisted of them, Jonny Lamb (drums), David Hanson (lead guitar), and Jonny Lamb’s cousin Rob Clayton (bass). They released their debut single (“Elizabeth” – below) in 2010 and it achieved moderate chart success. Eventually, they were recognized for all the skills mentioned above. It just so happened it came by way of former Cutting Crew keyboardist Tony Moore, who spotted the band and invited them to the folk festival in the United States which then led to them being signed by Austin, Texas-based label, Traffic Records.

The Dunwells released their sweet debut Blind Sighted Faith on February 14, 2012. They are now making their rounds touring, and recently were showcased on the Jay Leno Show (their television debut) in August of this year.

This is a great sample of why I am so high on this band. This is one of those acoustic ballads I mentioned before. At first listen, I was blown away by the Backstreet Boys harmonies. Seriously, they are that smooth. But do you know what’s scary? There are no effects added to this piece. This is purely acoustic. They are naturally this talented. The song itself is soothing and constructed well. The vocal interplay later in the song is fresh and skillful. It is actually difficult to not like this song.

And then BOOM. You are hit square in the face by a song that you could swear is by another band (until you hear the harmonies). The blues-saturated, powerful folk/rock song features instrumental breakdowns, vocal repetition, and a damn effect-driven electric guitar solo. It is an example of a band that knows hard work, exasperation, and, well, good music. No, great music. The inter-connectedness and fortitude supporting the band is refreshing, and I am excited to hear more from them in the future. This is most certainly a band to watch.

Find out more about the band by following their Facebook or Twitter. You can also check out their website

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Many Matches in the Matchbox

4 Sep

It’s often shocking how often you find yourself unknowingly enjoying a modern incarnation of a song that has its roots embedded in the past. Covers are great, but they spawn histories that are often forgotten. The Blues Evolution is The Music Court’s attempt to combine two engaging topics, music and history, and share tales of popular blues songs that were first recorded before the first rock n’ roll song was ever created.

Today’s song of choice is “Matchbox,” a blues song born in the 1920s and covered 30 years later by Carl Perkins (and later the Beatles). It is also a great example of musical telephone, where Perkins was forced to guess on the lyric of the decade-old blues song, thus creating an entirely new song that simply held the original’s foundation. So, if you will oblige, let’s take a trip down the long stretch of road that is blues history.

Blind Lemon Jefferson

It all begins with Blind Lemon Jefferson. Well, kind of. Blind Lemon was just one of the many ultra-talented blind blues musicians who inspired the eventual creation of rock n’ roll, but he developed “Matchbox” because he was inspired by a lyric in a Ma Rainey song. Blind Lemon, who has been called the Father of Texas Blues, was inspired by Ma Rainey – “The Mother of the Blues.” The blues ancestry works much like mythology, it seems. Blind Lemon and Ma Rainey inspired Robert Johnson, Howlin’ Wolf, and many, many others.

In Ma Rainey’s 1924 record “Lost Wandering Blues,” she sings, “Lord, I’m standing here wondering, Will a matchbox hold my clothes. I’ve got a sun to beat, I’ll be farther down the road.” In a pre-sampling example of sampling, Blind Lemon took that lyric and wrote, “I’m sittin’ here wonderin’ would a matchbox hold my clothes.
I ain’t got so many matches but I got so far to go.” Quite similar, indeed. Blind Lemon’s version of the lyric became more popular, but credit must be given to Ma Rainey as well.

There is Blind Lemon’s high croon and traditional Texas acoustic blues guitar. Gosh, pre-rock n’ roll blues is just awesome, isn’t it? This song was recorded several more times through the 30s and 40s but to no true popularity, though it was through one of these covers that the song was reintroduced to the public.

Thirty years later, Carl Perkins’ father suggested he cover the song in a December, 1956 recording session. Perkins’ father, Buck, was a student of old country music, and several country musicians covered the Blind Lemon song in the 1930s and 40s. He only remembered a few lines of the song. Carl decided to try his luck, and the session pianist, Jerry Lee Lewis (not a bad session pianist!), played a boogie rhythm on the piano. Perkins transformed the song into fast-paced rockabilly…with completely different lyrics.

The line that Blind Lemon adopted from Ma Rainey is still there. It is the only similarity that remains. The song, which Blind Lemon made about a mean woman, became a about a poor boy a long way from home. Here is Carl Perkins performing the song with Johnny Cash and Eric Clapton because we can!

The Beatles, who were inspired by Perkins, had received a request to record a Perkins song, and in 1964 they recorded the song with Perkins himself standing by. Yes, he was invited to the session, and did jam with the band (just not on the track). Ringo was tasked with the vocal responsibilities, and he sang the song while playing his drum set.

From the mother to the father to Mr. Blue Suede Shoes to the greatest band of the 20th century. And to think, I’m sittin’ here wondering if a matchbox will hold my clothes.

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Climbing Mt. Everest Cale

24 Aug

Everest Cale

Sometimes a band is just meant to be. Everest Cale is one of those bands. Composed of a group of college friends from South Carolina who journeyed north to the Big Apple, Everest Cale came together because of persistence and the joint desire to produce good music. The friends, Brett Treacy (vocals, guitar), Jeremy Kolmin (guitar) and Aaron Nystrup (bass), added drummer Nate Becker and keyboardist/vocalist  Ryan Roets, to round out the rock quintet. Since 2010, Everest Cale has played clean blues-inspired rock with 70’s inspired edginess and noticeable modern sentiments. On Sept. 4, they release their first EP Beast, and in anticipation of the release let’s take a listen to the band’s self-titled single.

The song begin’s with a softly-plucked guitar backing Treacy’s vocals. Treacy’s vocal has an intriguing quality to it. It is noticeably powerful, but it maintains a tenderness that is refreshing. It is recognizable, but original to Treacy. The progression of the song is smooth. One of the most attractive aspects of Everest Cale is that they play a refreshing blend of music that is skillful, organized, and precise. As the band demonstrates with the feedback and rock breakdown at the end of the song, they certainly know how to let loose and “rock out,” but they do that in a mature, unphased way. They are in charge of their music, and that is something that makes for an enjoyable listen.

Everest Cale plays their release show at Rockwood Music Hall, Stage 2 (New York) on Sept. 1. I am eager to listen to the rest of the EP.

You can keep track of the band by visiting their website and following them on Facebook and Twitter

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