If there's one thing Michigan is missing, it's a great label. You know, the type of label that makes a city, the type of label whose latest acquisitions you don't even have to hear to know they're good because if they're on that label, then damn, they must be something special.
Seattle has Barsuk and Subpop. Omaha has Saddle Creek. Bloomington, Indiana has the interestingly named Secretly Canadian. And L.A. has Dangerbird. But what of the upper Midwest? I think anyone who's even slightly familiar with the Michigan scene knows there's a void there and after having spent my summer months in the mitten, I feel as if that void is completely unwarranted and has the very real possibility of being filled - And soon.
You see, the Michigan I grew up in was the Michigan that was known only for it's garage rock. Ten plus years after the fact, can any average Rolling Stone reader name a modern Michigan band besides The White Stripes and The Von Bondies? Doubtful. However, I've been gallivanting around my old haunts (Like The Magic Stick and the Blind Pig) as well as exploring some venues I was just a wee bit too young to get into before (Like the wonderful, divey PJ's Lager House) and I've discovered that not only does Michigan has a wonderful scene, it also has a diverse scene and most members of that scene are on Quite Scientific Records.
We here at RFC are too rooted to the Midwest to make our way to CMJ this year and let's face it, we're music writers so we're kind of poor as well and finances must be taken into account, lest you end up out of gas somewhere around Clearfield, Pennsylvania, out of gas and with a dead cell phone (Let's face it - Car chargers are SO easy to forget). The lack of RFC at CMJ, however, doesn't mean we don't have our fair share of picks, as previously mentioned during the week but if, through some kismet-y experience, I did find myself attending the 19th to 23rd New York festival and had to chose only one showcase to see, it would doubtlessly be Qui Sci's.
Granted, some of my favorite Quite Scientific artists will not be in attendance (Namely RFC faves Lightning Love and Frontier Ruckus), the label's CMJ roster proves one thing: Michigan is a force to be reckoned with.
On October 20th at 7:30 p.m., the Qui Sci crew will be hitting Bruar Falls with the following artists in tow...
Drunken Barn Dance: Interestingly enough, I've yet to experience Drunken Barn Dance despite the fact that the band plays in my own proverbial backyard on a near weekly basis. What can I say? Daytrotter's conditioned me to see the words "Drunken" and "Barn" together and I grab my favorite flask and pack my bags for Iowa. This Drunken Barn Dance, however, is the very definition of "raucous folk", a term that admittedly seems like an oxymoron but I swear, it's true, as perfectly evidenced in "A Winter's Tale", a song that starts out deceptively. At first, as with most of Drunken Barn Dance's tracks, the song lulls you into a false sense of slow, folk security but within seconds evolves into a sing along with some of the most upbeat, spitfire lyrics about irate anger, bloody appendages, and probably a bit more liquor than should be consumed. Gee, that actually sounds a lot like my Daytrotter Barnstormer experiences, come to think of it so what are you waiting for, team Daytrotter? Get a drunken barn dance together with Drunken Barn Dance!
Drunken Barn Dance - A Winter's Tale
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.: I will make no bones about the fact that when I first hear the buzz gathering around this Detroit duo, I automatically dismissed it. Why? Well, it had nothing do with their talent, their sound, their looks. Instead, it was that god awful name. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.? Are you kidding me? God, that's almost as bad as "Wilco (The Song)" off Wilco (The Album) by Wilco (The Band). Then, earlier in the summer, I saw that the twosome had gotten what basically amounts to the gold medal of the Respectable Indie Olympics: A Daytrotter session. (Have I beaten Daytrotter the pony to death with my constant love of the groundbreaking site yet?) When I finally sat down and listened to the duo, well, I was more than pleasantly surprised. I was downright astounded. Something about the band is so familiar but it's difficult to put your finger on it. Their influences are broad and they meld them wonderfully, taking cues from electronic pop, indie rock, confessional folk, and even perhaps a bit of underground rap tossed in. Normal? Not nearly. Awesome? Yeah, pretty much.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. - Nothing But Our Love (Live At Daytrotter)
Chris Bathgate: Of course I saved the best for last, in my opinion. It's no secret that Bathgate's music makes me weak in the knees and while he plays often in my area (Since, you know, it happens to be his area too), I always seem to miss him. I thank my lucky stars for that. Not because he's a bad musician but rather because I fear I'd make a stuttering fool of myself in front of him and, as I learned from my encounter with Will Sheff, no one likes a stuttering fool. Bathgate, whose next release is being eagerly awaited by this gal, seems to have paved the way for the new resurgence in Michigan folk yet is perfectly able to walk the line between acoustic introspection and hook laden upbeat numbers. How's he do it? Well, that's beyond me, but the web that Bathgate weaves is one that's damn near impossible to disentangle yourself from once you find yourself ensnared.
Chris Bathgate - Restless
Missed last week's glorious post with all of RFC's CMJ picks? Good thing you can just click right here and play catch up.
People Covering Songs I Love With Timber Timbre
I'd never heard of Timber Timbre before the release of their third album but within moments of finishing the record, I greedily consumed all their previous work, finding each record as perfectly in tune with dark sensibilities as their much-raved about self titled 2009 release. I've always had an interest in the macabre and no band has ever made death sound as beautiful as Timber Timbre does. With references to grave robbing, necrophilia, seances, and hauntings galore, Timber Timbre is music for late nights and gloomy weather, for the days when you want to draw your own morality into question. They make music for haunted houses, for the dead and dying, or for people who feel like a part of them is dead or dying. And they do it all against a timeless background of impeccably hushed acoustic guitar, raucous gospel stomp, and old-time ragged blues. Unique? You betcha.
If you backtrack in Timber Timbre's catalog, to the band's 2007 release Medicinals, you'll find a song called "Oh, Messiah". Not a traditional cover, per se but 51 seconds into the song, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. It's recognizable by everyone, ingrained into popular consciousness by The Isley Brothers, The Beatles, The Mamas and The Papas, and countless others. Yes, I'm talking about "Twist and Shout", which is seamlessly blended into the woodwork of the roots spook of Timber Timbre's signature sound.
Timber Timbre - Oh Messiah
Speaking of covers and Timber Timbre... Who the heck are these guys killing it on "Demon Host" in a field?!
I want to be friends with them.
Posted at 01:25 PM in Commentary, Downloads, People Covering Songs I Love | Permalink | Comments (18) | TrackBack (0)
Tags: Amber Valentime, People Covering Songs I Love, Some Dudes In A Field, Timber Timbre
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