…over the past eighteen months, the Dayton supergroup that is The Motel Beds have seen their star ascend rapidly in the local scene. After regrouping last spring and adding guitarist/engineer Darryl Robbins, the Beds’ live show has packed clubs around town while their most recent batch of recordings on Moondazed stands as a warning shot for what we suspect this band may very well become. Already the band have prepared a new disc entitled Feelings which strips away the lo-fi ramblings, revealing a band that is in full command of its wide array of sonic powers. Have a listen to the track “Lights On” for evidence of a band that can alternately conjure a whirling knot of interwoven guitars and just as easily coast into hypnotic waves of surf elevating PJ Paslosky’s effortless choruses into the fading horizon. Dig in now and get ready for Feelings…
…don’t forget, you can catch all this goodness live tonight at Blind Bob’s along with sets from New Vega [who also have a new disc pending], Roger Klug [up from Cincinnati], and Nathan Peters [ex-Captain of Industry]. See you there…
MP3: The Motel Beds “Lights On”
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…while the music scene here in Dayton perpetually exists in a state of flux with bands coming and going, often without notice, we lost one of our favorite acts last summer as the grungy popsters of Hospital Garden bid adieu to the Gem City and relocated to Chicago. While we occasionally receive transmissions as to their endeavors in the Windy City [one of which was a recent opening spot for Evan Dando at the Double Door...nice!], it’s been far too long since we’ve seen them in action. Well, this weekend will change that as the lovable trio returns to Blind Bob’s to celebrate the release of their new self-titled debut album. We’ve been spinning it fairly relentlessly since receiving it and we’re likely to continue this trend as these delectable melodies and moods only further entrench themselves in our psyche. As guitarist/vocalist Lucas Hollow navigates his twangy warbled intropections through shimmering jangle and grungy sludge, bassist Sarah Carey and drummer Ian Spencer punctuate with workmanlike efficiency and nuance. While the disc certainly carries with it traces of indie icons like Built to Spill, Dinosaur Jr., early REM, Superchunk, and GBV, Hospital Garden somehow fuse these elements into a distinctive voice that transcends mere rehash into an engaging collection of quality tunes. Consider this yr advance notice for their show on Saturday night. Keep in mind, this disc is best enjoyed LOUD…
MP3: Hospital Garden “Look Alive!”
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…in the legend of Guided By Voices, there are few events that are shrouded in such mystery as the aborted Power of Suck concept album. As the star of GBV was ascending on the strength of the one-two punch of Bee Thousand and Alien Lanes and their live show earning them a reputation beyond reproach, Robert Pollard penned an album that was ultimately scrapped in favor of a newer bunch of songs. As a witness to the process of how the Power of Suck came to be and, subsequently, evaporated, writer Jim Greer recently discovered thought-to-be-lost-forever evidence of this album and discusses the events surrounding it on his blog, North of Onhava. Head over there to read the whole story. It also sounds as if Power of Suck may finally see the light of day. Stay tuned…
…on a related note, Jim Greer will be in Dayton at Books & Co. on Thursday, May 7 in support of his new book, The Failure. Might wanna make plans to check that out…
MP3: Guided By Voices “Why Did You Land?”
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MP3: Guided By Voices “The Key Losers”
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MP3: Guided By Voices “He’s The Uncle”
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…it’s been a while since post-rock pioneers Trans Am have issued any new material, but that drought ends today. Out on the Thrill Jockey imprint, the band’s new disc Thing finds Trans Am in classic form in their applications of minimalism and electronics. Embracing a dance-driven element within their core aesthetic, Thing still makes plenty of space for Trans Am’s frenetic freak outs while never dropping the beats. Additionally, several tracks seem primed for extended remixes that could trance out a dance floor with ease…
…while Thing drops today, Trans Am will be performing a FREE SHOW this Saturday, April 24 at The Northside Tavern in Cincinnati. Make yr plans…
MP3: Trans Am “Apparent Horizon”
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…tonight at South Park Tavern we are very excited to bring you once again our April Residency for The Buddha Den NTRO/XPO: Doom Patrol. If you haven’t made it out yet to see them, we would highly encourage you to do so. Opening the evening will be the vintage rock n’ roll sounds of the newly redubbed Mercury Mouth [formerly Yazoo Street Scandal]. Music starts at 10 pm sharp and this event, as always, is FREE/ALL AGES…
…since last week’s performance, one half of Doom Patrol, Cry Baby Genius to be exact, has issued a new album entitled Patty Marcell’s Big-Shot Yard Sale. Returning with a fresh collection of rhymes that veer from unapologetic bravado to heart-on-the-sleeve introspection, this is a quality slab that truly speaks from the old school. You can grab this goodness directly from Cry Baby Genius HERE. In addition, CBG teamed up with Kurt Douglas for an excellent stop-motion clip for the track “Funny Paper”, which you can see and hear below. Enjoy….
MP3: Cry Baby Genius “Funny Papers”
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…welcome to a new week kids! We’ve got a very exciting offer for you to start off the week. One of our favorites from Cincinnati, Buffalo Killers, are returning to Dayton this Friday, April 24, for a show at Canal Street Tavern along with their good friends, The Nate Wilson Group. Well, we’ve teamed up with Buffalo Killers to offer up one pair of FREE TICKETS to this show via The Buddha Den. What do you have to do? Simply send us an email at meltones@gmail.com with the subject line BUFFALO KILLERS. Simple, right? Yeah, we like to keep it that way. So, what are you waiting for?
…AND THE WINNER IS…Justin Simmons!
…Mr. Simmons and a guest will receive complimentary tickets courtesy of The Buddha Den. Stay tuned for more Giveaways soon…
MP3: Buffalo Killers “Don’t You Ever Think I Cry” [Rockin Horse cover]
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MP3: Buffalo Killers “Spend My Last Breath”
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…while many of us here in the Gem City are still lamenting the loss of our beloved Gem City Records, time waits for no one, and as such National Record Store Day is upon us again. Tomorrow, Saturday, April 17, a pair of local retail outlets will do their part to remind Daytonians that there is still a pulse in the local record buying community. You can head up to Omega Records [located at 2001 N. Main St. in the Santa Clara District] or over to Game Swap [2294 Dorothy Lane in Woodlane Plaza] to get all kinds of crazy good deals on used vinyl, CDs, cassettes, and even 8-tracks. Yes, we said 8-tracks. See you out there…
UPDATE: we received this press release from Toxic Beauty Records in Yellow Springs last evening and wanted to pass it along to all of you regarding Record Store Day today…
Toxic Beauty Records, which is one of two remaining record stores in the Miami Valley, will have special hours to celebrate Record Store Day and will be open from 11:00 am to 8:00 pm. In addition to offering the exclusive Record Store Day releases at his store, Castleberry will also host Holy Ghost Tent Revival, a six-piece band from Greensboro, North Carolina, that plays an eclectic mix of musical styles with the sounds of brass, banjo, guitar, bass, drums, and keys. Holy Ghost Tent Revival will perform a quick set of their songs on the sidewalk outside of Toxic Beauty Records at 2:00 pm and do record-signings in the record store shortly afterward. They will play a full show later that night at Canal Street Tavern in downtown Dayton at 10:00 pm.
…earlier this week the face-melting duo Lightning Bolt announced a summer tour schedule that includes a stop at The Historic Southgate House. Out in support of their most recent effort, Earthly Delights, LB seem to have infused their breakneck thrash with a healthy dose of Krautrock. And we’re perfectly OK with that. Have a listen and prepare to get yr eardrums flattened this summer…
MP3: Lightning Bolt “Colossus”
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TOUR DATES
06/30 – Washington D.C. – DC9
07/01 – Charlotte, NC – The Milestone
07/02 – Chapel Hill, NC – Local 506
07/03 – Knoxville, TN – Pilot Light
07/04 – Atlanta, GA – Eyedrum
07/05 – Orlando, FL – Will’s Pub
07/06 – Miami, FL – Churchill’s Pub
07/07 – Tallahassee, FL – Farside Collective
07/08 – New Orleans, LA – Zeitgeist Multi Disciplinary Arts
07/09 – Houston, TX – Kohn’s #
07/10 – Austin, TX – The Mohawk #
07/11 – Dallas, TX – Trees*#
07/12 – Little Rock, AR – Arkansas Community Arts
07/13 – Lawrence, KS – The Jackpot Saloon
07/14 – Iowa City, IA – The Picador
07/15 – Minneapolis, MN – Triple Rock Social Club
07/18 – Chicago, IL – Pitchfork Music Festival
07/19 – Detroit, MI – Museum of Contemporary Art!
07/20 – Bloomington, IN – Rhinos Youth Center 07/21 – Newport, KY – Southgate House
07/22 – Cleveland, OH – Grog Shop
07/23 – Pittsburgh, PA – Belvedere’s
* = w/ Best Fwends
! = w/ Wolf Eyes
# = w/ Indian Jewelry
…OK kids, one more post for today. We just wanted to let all you all know about a new event taking place on Wednesdays at South Park Tavern. Building on their long-standing weekly Open Mic, South Park Tavern introduced The Rock N’ Roll PlayDate last Wednesday and today announced that it will be a FREE/WEEKLY event. Here’s what co-host Jay Madewell had to say about this new event:
Good news, my friends- I had so much fun last week playing drums w/6 different “acts” (that i’d never played w/before) at SPT’s Rn’R Play Date that we’re gonna do it EVERY WEEK! it’s a full on Open Mic with amps & drums. Sign up via E-MAIL @ rocknrollplaydate@gmail.com or take your chances & come on down. RULES: drums …are available- so just sign up if you wanna use ‘em, if you want ME to play drums w/you, just ask.
…this sounds to us like a great opportunity for aspiring rockers to get their feet wet, as well as a chance for the more experienced musicians in town to come down and shake things up. Might wanna check it out…
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