…although the lovable indie-pop quartet Bonneville has been kicking around the Dayton area for the better part of a decade and already has one full length album to its name, the release of their new album, Drawing Maps, caught our ears and simply would not let go. Bubbling over with insatiable pop hooks fueled by shimmering four-part harmonies and driving, jangly guitars, Drawing Maps reveals a band that is in full command of their songwriting chops and deserving of notice in Dayton and beyond. Bonneville will celebrate the release of Drawing Maps tomorrow night, July 23, with a show at Canal Street Tavern. Tune in now and make yr plans for tomorrow night…

MP3: Bonneville “Drawing Maps”

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MP3: Bonneville “The Back Of My Mind”

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MP3: Bonneville “Coming To Life”

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…over the past year or so, the instrumental quartet Kuan has emerged as one of the most engaging live acts currently working in Dayton. With a relentless drive and a keen mastery of dynamic shifts, mood, and texture, Kuan bridges the chasms between jazz, post-rock, and math-rock and the results are breathtaking. Kuan oozes copious riffage, shape-shifting rhythms, and a fearless command of spaces both delicate and bombastic. Their live show is an experience not to be missed. Kuan will be heading out for a western tour over the next month, so spread the word and be sure to catch them if you’re out that way…

MP3: Kuan “G”

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TOUR DATES

JULY
22nd- Dayton, OH @ Blind Bob’s *
24th – Columbus, OH @ Kobo *

AUGUST
4th – Indianapolis, IN @ Melody Inn #
5th – Champaign, IL @ Dan Akroyd’s House #
6th – St Louis, MO @ Lemmon’s #
7th – Lawrence, KS @ Replay Lounge #
8th – Wichita, KS @ Kirby’s Beer Store #
9th – Denver, CO – Wax Trax Records #
11th – Portland, OR @ Ella St. Social Club #
12th – Seattle, WA @ The Comet Lounge #
13th – Salem, OR @ The Space #
14th – San Francisco @ TBA #
15th – Sacramento, CA @ The Press Club #
16th – San Francisco, CA @ Milk Bar #
17th – Fresno, CA @ Audie’s Olympic #
18th – Los Angeles, CA @ TBA #
19th – San Diego, CA @ Che Cafe Collective #
20th- Phoenix, AZ @ Revolver Records #
21st – Portales, NM @ Echo Chamber #
22nd – Denton, TX – Boiler Room #
23rd – Dallas, TX – Bll’s Records Daytime) #
23rd – Austin, TX @ Beauty Bar #
24th – New Orleans, LA @ TBA #
25th – Atlanta,GA @ Drunken Unicorn #
26th – Asheville, NC @ The Lab #
27th – Washington, DC @ The Fridge #
28th – Baltimore, MD @ Orion Studios #
29th – Philadelphia, PA @ Pageant Gallery #
30th – Boston, MA @ TBA #
31st – Portland, ME @ TBA #

SEPTEMBER
1st – Brooklyn, NY @ TBA
2nd – Providence, RI @ The 201
3rd – Ithaca, NY @ Wildfire Lounge
4th – Pittsburgh, PA @ Smiling Moose
5th – Dayton, OH @ Blind Bob’s

* w/Six Gallery [Columbus]
# w/Matta Gawa [DC]

…while their release is still a couple of weeks away, we thought we’d share a little sample of the forthcoming Human Reunion debut album, Arc De Square. Issued on their own Minor Manor imprint, the album is the culmination of nearly five years as one of Dayton’s premier live acts. While we’ve thrown out a couple samples previously, we wanted to offer up the track “Rapture Nurse” as a interesting variation on the trademark blip-bleep-thwak that lies at the core of the HR soundtrack. In particular the vocal melody explores the ethereal disembodied sweeps and swoops of Swinging London psychedelia. A perfect delivery for an apocalyptic yarn. Dig in and get ready for the release of Arc De Square on July 30 at Blind Bob’s…

MP3: Human Reunion “Rapture Nurse”

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…while the announcement came down recently that the “Classic” lineup of Guided By Voices that toured throughout 93-96 had been persuaded to reunite for Matador’s 21st Birthday celebration in Las Vegas in October, not everyone was able to book the flight & hotel rooms for such an event. Well, rest easy…the Southgate House website announced that Guided By Voices will appear at the club on Friday, October 15. Tickets go on sale tomorrow, so you should be ready to get them while you can….

MP3: Guided By Voices “Shocker in Gloomtown”

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TOUR DATES

9/30 – East Side Drive, Austin, TX
On Sale 7/16 at 12pm
with Times New Viking

10/3 – Pearl Theatre @ Palms Hotel, Las Vegas NV
SOLD OUT
Matador at Twenty-One Las Vegas

10/4 – Wiltern, Los Angeles CA
On Sale TBA
with Times New Viking

10/5 – Warfield, San Francisco CA
Pre-sale FRI 7/23 10am-10pm password “bee thousand”
Regular On Sale SAT 7/25 at 10am
with Times New Viking

10/7 – Crystal Ballroom, Portland OR
On Sale 7/20 at 10am
with Times New Viking

10/9 – Showbox So Do, Seattle WA
On Sale 7/26 at 10am
with Times New Viking

10/12 – First Avenue, Minneapolis MN
On Sale 7/16 at 12pm
with Times New Viking

10/13 – The Vic, Chicago IL
On Sale 7/24 at 10am
with Times New Viking

10/15 – Southgate House, Newport KY (Cincinnati)
On Sale 7/16 at 10am

10/16 – Outlands Live, Columbus OH
On Sale 7/15

10/21 – 9:30 Club, Washington D.C.
On Sale 7/17 at 10am

10/22 – Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro NC
On Sale 7/16 at 10am

10/23 – Buckhead Theater, Atlanta GA
On Sale 7/24 at 10am

11/4 – Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
On NBC at 12:35/11:45C

11/5 – Paradise, Boston MA
On Sale 7/17 at 12pm
with Blitzen Trapper

11/6 – Trocadero, Philadelphia PA
On Sale 7/17 at 12pm
with Blitzen Trapper

11/7 – Terminal 5, NYC
On Sale 7/23 at 12pm
with Blitzen Trapper

…after five years of hosting one of the most revered annual events on the Dayton music calendar, Dayton Music Fest founders Dan Clayton and Shawn Johnson recently handed over the organization of this event to professional local music enthusiasts Don Thrasher [Dayton Daily News/Active Dayton] and Kyle Melton [Dayton City Paper/The Buddha Den]. In a recent statement, Thrasher had this to say:

“As a fan of local music, I’ve always been attracted to events that draw attention to the rich talent Dayton has to offer. Since its inception in 2005, Dayton Music Fest has been a tremendous showcase for homegrown indie acts and I’ve made it a point to attend each year. DMF is hands-down one of my favorite nights of the fall season so I’m looking forward to getting a chance to help shepherd this festival into the future.”

…Dayton Music Fest will be held on Saturday, October 2. Submissions are now open for acts wishing to participate. You can register for free at the DMF website. Don’t hesitate, as submissions close July 31….

photo by: Kidtee Hello

…we came across this a while back and had been meaning to post it. Well, today is the day. From Botswana, dig this incredible display of guitar performance both musically and visually. Very much in line with West African guitar traditions, this humble acoustic performance demonstrates just how much can be done with very little…

…we’re very excited about this evening’s edition of The Buddha Den NTRO/XPO at South Park Tavern, as we’ll be hosting Boston indie-pop quartet, The Wandas. The band are currently out on tour [see dates below] in support of their album New Wave Blues, a well-crafted disc overflowing with sunny hooks driven by heart-on-the-sleeve sentimentality. The Wandas will be joined this evening by our July Residency, Outright Liar. Music starts at 10 pm and is FREE/ALL AGES. See you there…

MP3: The Wandas “Bending Over Backwards”

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Jul 13 South Park Tavern Dayton, OH
Jul 14 Blue Rock Tavern Cincinnati, Ohio
Jul 15 Vollrath Tavern Indianapolis, Indiana
Jul 16 Elbo Room Chicago
Jul 19 The Strutt Kalamazoo, Michigan
Jul 20 Merge Buffalo, New York

…we wanted to give out advance warning of an excellent show taking place tomorrow night at Blind Bob’s. One of our favorite locals, The Turkish Delights, will be celebrating the release of their stellar debut album, Ahem… Recorded by the band at various locales throughout the city, the seamless sequencing further heightens the playfully sinister tonalities that lie at the heart of the Turks’ sound. Fusing raw garage energy with new wave quirkiness, modern indie sophistication, and literate lyrical tendencies into a distinctive vocabulary, Ahem… possesses a fresh-yet-familiar vibe without being overly referential. The sonic center often shifts from jangly, spiky guitars to creepy carnivalesque organ swirls, all coasting over perfectly nuanced drums. All but one of six tracks that comprised their 2009 demo were re-recorded for Ahem… [“Lite-Brite” being the exception]. These are interspersed with previously unreleased live staples such as “Action vs. Reaction”, “Trench Duty”, and album opener, “Please Forgive Me”, as well as a handful of audio vignettes that all clock in around the one-minute mark. The disc varies widely in its tone and character and is driven by the Josh Brother’s playful lyricism and distinctive voice. Overall, this is a strong contender for one of the best albums to be released in Dayton in 2010. The Turkish Delights will be joined tomorrow night by Me & Mountains and Toads and Mice, who will likely also have a new album out by year’s end. Tune in and enjoy…

MP3: The Turkish Delights “Actions vs. Reactions”

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MP3: The Turkish Delights “Please Forgive Me”

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…we’ve been meaning to post on Australian neo-psych trio Tame Impala ever since Ted Dankerson over at Fictionband Mechanics brought them to our attention a few weeks ago. Well, better late than never…the band recently just wrapped up their first US jaunt opening for MGMT and just released the excellent new album, Innerspeaker [artwork above]. While it may be difficult to accurately pinpoint exactly where they’re coming from at times, the links to both Yes and Neu! on the band’s website give a fairly accurate indication. The video below is one of the better clips we’ve seen in some time and serves as an excellent visual component to the track itself…

…if you’ll recall the earliest days of this little music blog, our coverage of the defunct Wild & Free was fairly extensive. Since that time we have been keeping close tabs on that band’s protagonist, Jake Giesige, as he traveled to Brooklyn and founded a new outfit, The Judy Blooms. Tonight the band makes it’s Dayton debut at South Park Tavern and we could not be more excited. While this new band turned in a decidedly more hard-driving rock sound, Giesige’s impeccable pop craftsmanship and attention to detail continue to be the hallmarks of his sound. While we only have a demo to offer below, you should be able to get a good sense of what we’re talking about…

…in the middle slot this evening are newcomers Roley Yuma. Although the band recently went from a 5 to a 4-piece, they seem to have made the transition relatively smoothly and retained all of the components that endeared them to us in the the first place: wild dynamics, hypnotic storytelling, and intertwining guitars that seem poised to collapse at any minute, but seem to always find a hook to reel us in. You can hear a track from their upcoming debut Sun Tea below…

…opening things up tonight is another of our earliest local favorites, Andy Smith. While it’s been a while since we’ve seen him live with his full band the Pretty Punchers, Smith quietly completed a new album, No Longer A Lover, which should see release by summer’s end. The disc remains firmly rooted in the high-octane Americana that made their debut, Goodbye, Ohio, such a compelling listen, but the addition of pedal steel and various ambient noises throughout the disc definitely raise the bar on this sophomore effort. You’ll definitely be hearing more about this as the release date approaches…

…dig the tracks below and we’ll see you tonight at South Park Tavern…

MP3: The Judy Blooms “Love and Depression”

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MP3: Roley Yuma “Toohey”

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MP3: Andrew & the Pretty Punchers “Good News”

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